Seasonal Winds of Change
by mamabot
Summary: Autobot and Decepticon mates have found their way to TFP-Earth. The leaders turn a blind eye to the need to further the relationships. Or do they? ThundercrackerxSlipstream PercyxMoony Ultra MagnusxFirestar BlitzwingxBlack Arachnia SpringerxArcee Red AlertxRatchet PredakingxOC DreadwingxOC Shockwave Ultra Magnus the keys to the running story. A secret couple also inside.
1. Spring

Seeing how this is the first chapter, let me explain the lay out here. It's actually two stories with one common epilog. Seasons of Change  for the Autobot's mates and families coming together. Winds of Change for the Decepticon's families coming together. The key mech for each will be Ultra Magnus and Shockwave. Fanfiction readers are gifted with an extra chapter that was NOT posted on deviantart. YES, I purposely did NOT put the compass points or seasonal rotation in order. Sometimes life just doesn't make sense or go as we planned. So... here you go.

My intimate scenes are romantic and sensuous. Not smutt or porn.

* * *

Spring  
Transformers Prime  
Cast: Springer x Arcee, supportive Ultra Magnus

* * *

**8**  
That's right, it's spring and Ultra Magnus, leader of the Wreckers, has arrived. As much as Wheeljack is not happy to see the Commander, Arcee is even less happy to see him arrive alone. She's trying desperately to be professional, but her spark is doing absolutely crazy things inside it's chamber and her brain is processing a thousand different questions, rants, and scenarios.  
Although the Autobot Second in Command is trying to settle in, he is not a fool to Arcee's aloof coolness towards him. He knows that prim persona of hers that everyone is used to seeing as well her reserved honest personality. He is one of the rare few that has seen her other side. Should he be surprised that she hasn't come to see him one-on-one? Maybe, maybe not. There is a lot to attend to right now and she is a professional. One of the traits that had made him proud to see his own Second in Command find desirable in a mate.  
Ultra Magnus sighs heavily watching one half of the bonded pair he holds so close in his spark silently slip out for her assigned patrol. Once more, she has not asked to speak to him alone. Her silence is killing him. How little does she know that to see her alive is a hope to him.  
"Ultra Magnus, is there something on your mind?" The Prime asks a fellow commander.  
Twice the white and blue one tries to find the right way to ask this question. Twice he fails. How can he ask Optimus this question without revealing a private fact that he may not have known before about Arcee? The last thing Ultra Magnus wants to lay on sweet Optimus' spark is the fact there is another bonded pair split by this war.  
Finally the great mech takes a deep sigh and pushes out an order for himself, "I'm going to go join Arcee on this patrol and get a feel for this planet, if that is alright with you?"  
Optimus Prime is no fool either. He knows there is more going on than the General will reveal, but if it was vital, the mech would have already said so, therefore this must be something personal. Probably between one of his team members and one of Prime's current team members.  
As much as everyone wants to think of Optimus as a nieeve thing in leadership (being the youngest Prime on record), he's not. With a spark mate of his own, he knows when another is romantically involved with another. When Arcee wound up with his ragtag team, she was suffering badly. Not just for Cliffjumper or Tailgate (teammates) but for someone else that was among the gossip lines. It infuriated him that others saw the lean and skilled femme as some sort of tart. No, there was only one she spent her personal time with. She kept her body pure to him alone. As for her spark, he wasn't a hundred percent sure if it was bound and tied to the triple-changer.  
That was until Ultra Magnus arrived and Arcee found more and more reasons to stay away from the General.

Without waiting for an answer from his silent and frowning Prime, the General drops to his wheels and heads out. Ordering troops is one thing. Watching their sparks break is another. He's not sure if he should just race up to her and force a conversation or just stand back some more and wait for her. He is ill-equipped for this task with her.  
"General, is there something you need?" She slows down giving the distance a chance to close. On top of that, she's initiating the conversation neither really wants to have.  
"I need to know how you are doing," his voice is soft.  
Her engine hitches a few times and she barrels down the road. Ultra Magnus once again is stuck on weather to pursue her or leave her in peace. No! He's tired of the hiding, he dashes after her.  
Around the next corner, he sees her standing on a cliff edge looking out over the city. His heavier weight knows better than to stand on the precipice beside her, so he gives a respectful distance but close enough to be a comfort.  
"Arcee… what happened?"  
"I went out on an assignment and got captured. They tortured Tailgate to death in order to get the information from me." Wrapping her arms around herself she shivers, "It's not a pretty as Crystal City but still, it's works in a pinch."  
"Arcee…," this time his voice is not of a commander but one of a warm patriarch.

_A lifetime ago, after a triumphant battle, Springer had dragged Arcee before his superior officer and demanded that he bond them. Nothing made the General more proud than to cup the cheeks of a couple desperately in love and say, "Go, be bonded, be happy, become One." It wasn't a traditional ceremony but all they needed was his blessing. With a final flick of his helm, he smirked, "Dismissed, Commander, Soldier." With that he gave them both the night off to join their life energies together. The war needed a future and these two were making the best of it. That was near a cliff overseeing Crystal City that he watched the pink and blue femme and the green and yellow mech sneak off hand in hand to one of the few hotels still intact and under Autobot control. That moment was a life time ago, before she went missing and Springer swallowed down his pain to dive in and lead suicide missions._  
_Arcee turns and looks up to her bondmate's commanding officer, "Now you tell me what happened."_  
_"It was hell-"_  
_"It's war, of course it's hell!"_  
_"He went bitter when you went MIA! Do you really want me to tell you how many bot's he slew with his bare hands trying to find you?! Do you want me to tell you how many times he charged ahead of his squad-" He chokes and looks away, "I should have relieved him of command. I knew he was hurting too much, but he was also a damned good strategist!"_  
_She turns and slams her fists up as high as she can into his torso, "What HAPPENED! Why are you here and not he?!" It might have been harsh. She didn't mean she wanted Springer over Magnus, that would be unprofessional. The Autobots need all the commanders they can get._  
_Soft large paws wrap around her fists holding them to his body, "I want to know myself." Her shoulders slump seeing his pain. Now she gets why he didn't just come to her and tell her about her sparkmate, he feels guilty as a commander. He takes both of her fists in one hand so his other can cup her helm and bring it to his warm body. He needs to feel her alive. If the last thing he can do for his SIC is keep his sparkmate alive, then By-Primus he will! His thumb soothes the nape of her neck while they look back over the city below._

Ultra Magnus remembers_ how his spark swelled watching the lovers dash away in giddy delight while he saw to the clean up of the battle. It actually brought a smile to his face to hide the fact the loyal and deadly Wrecker Commander Springer was giving his spark away while the rest of the team was sifting through scrap and looking for anything useful._  
_Arcee remembers how Springer could barely contain himself any longer. Flipping to his flight mode, she latched on to him and he took them to the roof top access to the hotel. From there, using their military stealth, they snuck into the once elite and glorious place. It's a place that neither of them ever would have been able to afford for a honeymoon. Sneaking through the halls, they found a "clean room". Many of the rooms had been destroyed by a battle or two. Some of the others had been destroyed by vandals and vagrants, but there were a few that were still useable while not being pristine._  
_After getting the door halfway open, it's here that Springer lifted Arcee into his arms and wriggled them both inside the room. Neither could help but laugh. It was far from a romance movie, but perfect for them. With a giggling kiss, he sets her down, "Help me get this closed?"_  
_It takes both of them wedging their weight against the mangled door in a twisted track to get it closed. They pant against the closed door and she looks up to him with a perspired brow, "Was it good for you?"_  
_He bursts out laughing. Wreckers are a vile and virile group. The new generation of Cybertronians will probably be spawned by this group if they had their way… and if interfacing was the only way to reproduce. Their physical exploits are more fact than fiction, unfortunately. Except these two._  
_Arcee may not be a true Wrecker, but she has certainly been accepted into their fold more than once. The Femme Division is just that: divided and scattered. Elita-One has her team scattered far and wide doing her best to keep them alive. Therefore, her members do not stick long with one group or another. Thus to see Arcee popping up more and more often with the Wreckers… yeah, its no surprise why._

_Springer rolls his shoulder and looks down to her letting his optics go dark and his voice sultry, "It's just beginning for you." One hand cups the trim hip, the other softly her helm allowing him so show her just how much he loves and treasures her with slow movements of his lips against hers. Massaging, pulling, pushing, he begins the love makin_g.  
_Arcee reaches up cupping his helm right back letting it be known she doesn't want him to stop. Her other hand begins to release his chest pieces so that she can get to his spark chamber. As the first bits of green armor fall to the floor he lifts her pedes off the floor again and takes her to the glorious rich berth. He lifts his face only long enough to find the edge of the top cover that has shattered shards of crystal sprinkled across it. With a jerk, that covering is removed leaving them a safe place to continue the joining._  
_He brings one knee then the other to the berth top and slowly bends to lower her down. As he does so, his lips return to her throat, the little bit of her exposed chest and on down. Slowly they take their time exposing themselves to each other. War be damned. Let the someone come and get them, they will be more than pleased to die together while making love._  
_Physically they had joined a few times before now. Each time was better than the last. Sometimes swift and needy. Sometimes angry and passionate. Sometimes slow and savoring. Everything paled when Arcee's spark touched Springer's filling the room with a starburst of light and emotions. It was one thing when Spring infused his body into Arcee's, it's another when she infused her life WITH his._  
_It made her giggle to know he wanted to wrap his body around hers the first time she bloodied one of the Wreckers with a single punched for assuming she was 'easy'. It frightened him a bit as to how to approach her when he WANTED her._  
_It swooned his spark to know she drooled watching him coolly and confidently dispensed the orders and then checked his weapon as easily as checking his appearance for a date. That was the day she knew she was doomed._  
_On and on the love and desire merges and melds the two lives together._  
_By the time the sparks had burst in an over-joy of emotions and the bodies collapse from the earlier battle and the romantic joining, both are too mewled to even speak. Soft touches, and smiling optics say it all. Entwined beneath a luxurious bedding, Springer smirks, "I should have asked you sooner. I always wanted to stay here."_  
_Instead of joining that joke among the crooked pictures, shuttered window, over turned furniture and busted chandelier, Arcee snuggles in tighter to his embrace. "I don't want to ever leave."_  
_His smile fades swiftly knowing they will have to go back to the war come morning, but for now, he just holds his mate close. "Shh, not now. Shh, I have you. Stay with me." He doesn't want her drifting into tomorrow's worries, he just wants her here and now. She nuzzles into his chest and throat….._

… Arcee nuzzles into Ultra Magnus protection. They both see it at the same time. That's not a shooting star streaking across the skyline. That's not a missile slamming into the ground outside the city.  
Both break their hold and Ultra Magnus touches his com, "Ratchet, what was that?"  
"Cybertronian for sure, but past that, unknown. There's an odd shielding to the signature, unless it's fading."  
"We're on our way!"  
In nothing flat, the armored transport and motorbike are tearing down the slope towards the crash sight. They just hope they are there before the human military. Neither knows if it is friend, foe, or neutral or even alive. With the Cybertronian race dying, it doesn't really matter all that much either.  
Both are tearing up the terrain as the smoldering mess begins to move. Ultra Magnus flips to his pedes yanking his weapon on line. He tries to put a hand to hold Arcee at bay, but she can see the poor thing is pretty banged up. "Sir, we need a medic."  
The strips of green to the weak and wriggling form are very familiar to her, but she's sure it's just a trick to her optics considering she had just had a pretty passionate flash back. Ultra Magnus still holds her back with an ordered hand and has Ratchet bridge in.  
The weak protoform in the crater turns his helm to the vortex bringing Ratchet forth, "What do we have, General?"  
That snaps the greenish helm to the tallest mech with one weak bluish optic going wide. The other optic doesn't seem to register anything. "Sir?" crackles out from a sparking vocorder.  
There's only a few green Cybertronians that would call him 'sir.' Magnus keeps the weapon trained but does look into the hole for more signs of who this could be.  
Arcee drops her arms and scoops up a twisted helicopter blade that bounced out of the hole. She smoothes her hand down it and there, she sees a small mark she would know anywhere. She had put it there during a sparring match with a certain mech.  
Without waiting for the other two, she throws herself into the hole and clutches the battered thing. "Darling?"  
The one good optic goes even wider and the chest hitches erratically. "No… it can't be!"  
She grabs the burned and bleeding face, "Springer, is it really you?"  
His one good hand lays over hers, "Arcee? They said you were dead."  
A tear escapes her and her chest hitches in panic, "Why can't I feel you?!"

Ratchet looks up to the great General who is completely stunned with slacked arms to his sides. Ultra Magnus looks like he's seen more than a ghost. He's got a weak smile as well as if he's happy to see this ghost.  
The thumping of incoming human military leaves Ratchet the only one coherent enough to respond. "Fowler, call off the military. It's a friend. If you could, please remove the children from the base."  
"Rodger. If it's a friend, why are we removing the children?"  
"I am in no mood to explain Cybertronian mates to them tonight."  
"Oooo, right. Understood. Will do ASAP."  
To his relief, the military holds their positions keeping all other traffic away from the sight, until Ratchet can get his brethren out.  
"Ultra Magnus. Magnus!" Ratchet touches the arm again.  
"Huh?" The blue one blinks to the red and white one. "What?"  
"Help me get Springer and Arcee back to base." He can't help but mentally laugh seeing the normally so composed one distracted.  
Ultra Magnus crouches down and lays a hand to femme's back, "Arcee, let me take him back to base, alright?"  
She swipes a tear away and nods. Ratchet lends a hand helping her out of the crater while the senior officer lifts one the remaining members of his dying division into his arms. "You are safe, Commander. Soon, we will have you back as One."  
Springer lulls his head to his Division Leader's chest. "Tell me this, Magnus. Am I delirious?"  
Magnus lets off a soft rumble, "Since you laid optics on that femme, you always were a bit delirious, Springer."  
Springer doesn't laugh back. Magnus stops for a moment and looks down seriously into the very loyal mech he is so proud of. Any sire would be proud to see this mech join his spark with his daughter. "Springer, your mate is alive and well. She is here and as soon as Ratchet figures out what you have done to your spark, you will feel her again. So shush and let me get you both home."

Arcee heard this and looks up to Ratchet for pleading help. With a rarely shown expression of deepest-compassion, Ratchet slips his hand into hers and gives it a squeeze with his smile. He sends her a private com: /Arcee, with a sparkmate by his side, it's amazing how fast a mech will heal. Chromia and Ironhide? How many times should either of them be dead and are not?/ She squeezes back. With a light scowling smirk, he narrows his gaze, /Why didn't you tell me you were bonded?/  
She twists her lips for the right answer and finally comes up with, /You never asked?/  
For that he can't help but laugh lightly crushing her hand carefully.

Inside the base, there is no sign of the children and Optimus gives his reply to such, asking the next question everyone has on their faces, "Who is it?"  
Ultra Magnus proudly shows the beaten and mangled form in his arms, "Commander Springer."  
Wheeljack's optics go wide and he leaps forward, "SPRINGER!"  
Bulkhead is right at his side, "Holy Primus! I thought you were dead!"  
Now Springer weakly chuckles, "That is still a possibility."  
Arcee blanches. Ratchet lets go of her hand and turns that battered face to look into his older hardened one, "Not on my watch it isn't! General, get what's left of his aft into my med bay. Bumblebee I want whatever kibble he left out there brought to me. Arcee! Come!" He waggles a finger at the others, "Leave me alone."  
Wisely the rest of the group does so. First thing Ratchet does, is pick up Arcee and plunk her at the head of the medical berth, "Fold your legs and stay put." Then he turns to Magnus, "Put his head in her lap." As soon as that is done, Ratchet takes Springer's good hand and puts it with Arcee's, her other hand he slaps hard to Springer's forehelm making the weak one wince.  
"Ow, that hurt," he croaks.  
Ratchet snerks and leans his face in close so Springer can see him good and well. "Good, it was supposed to. Means your pain receptors still work."  
Springer scowls with his good optic, "Oh trust me Doc, they are all working just fine."  
Ratchet shakes his helm and tells Magnus, "Help me strip him. I need to find out exactly what he has done to himself. You Wreckers are crazy at the lengths you will go to hide yourselves."  
"Wreck and Rule?" Springer tries to laugh.  
Both Magnus and Ratchet groan. Arcee strokes her lover's brow, "Springer, please don't make Ratchet kill you before I get a chance to, 'kay."  
Springer tips his helm back. "Mmm, only if I can have a kiss to prove you are real?"  
Arcee leans in and gives him a tender kiss. The rest of his body might be weak, but his desire for his mate is still strong. His lips grip hard. Releasing her hand, he grabs at her cheek to kiss her harder. He needs to taste her, feel her and know that she is not lost after all these vorns.  
"I think we can leave that bit of his tasset on. Even if there is damage, it can wait," Ratchet snaps pinching the bare thigh making Springer wince accidentally biting Arcee's lip. Magnus chuckles lightly.  
Now the true exam comes about. "Springer, what the HELL is that attached to your spark chamber?!"  
"A frequency modulator. I didn't want anyone to find me."  
"That's all fine and dandy when it's tucked into your asbargo, but when on the ACTUAL spark chamber, it can do some serious damage."  
Springer rolls his helm up to his mate, "It didn't matter. When I couldn't feel her anymore, I …"  
Ratchet looks up to Arcee and she pales. "When they captured Tailgate and I. They must have had me in a dampening field."  
Magnus looks down on his Commander, "You put it on then?"  
Springer nods, "But I only activated it when on missions."  
Ratchet thwacks the naked chest, "Yes, but even when dormant, it will block spark bond wave lengths. You didn't know that?"  
"I thought it would-"  
Ratchet lets off a serious huff. "You idiot! Inferno and Firestar. Damnit, Inferno is one of you Wreckers and you never saw him when she would go missing? You hang on, you don't give up! That's part of the duty of a spark mate!" His hands clench into fists ready to pound the mech to bits.  
Springer tries to lift, "I didn't give up! I just had to focus! And the silence was killing me. I figured as long as the disrupter was my excuse…"  
Ratchet leans in, "Didn't you know she couldn't feel you either when she needed you the most?"  
"I had a division to-"

"You don't deserve her!" Ratchet goes to take Arcee off the berth but she hooks her hands into the biceps.  
"What about me, Ratchet? Do I deserve to have a bondmate?" Her plea leaves the older mech to let her go. "What about me? When I came back, I found them gone. It's their job to move on. I couldn't find my division either. I didn't go searching for my bondmate. I sulked. I had a pity party and searched for revenge never telling anyone of my true hurt. What would you have said if I had told you I thought I was a widow?"  
Ratchet sighs and looks out to the main hall where another mech is pining for his mate. "I would have told you not to give up just like Optimus."  
"I'm not strong like Optimus. All I could do was fight by his side, while he can feel his mate is alive and out there somewhere. I couldn't handle you all telling me to hang on just like him. For what? It was easier to bury Springer like I had so many others. It was easier to become callused and cold rather than pining and hoping for a dead dream."  
Ultra Magnus brings the bondmate's hand back together, "And now?"  
"Maybe I can give Optimus a bit of hope?"  
Springer has remained quiet through all of this but now as the pain killers are taking effect, his mind remembers something. "General?"  
"Yes, Commander."  
"Um, maybe you could take Sledgehammer and the Prime and head over to … there's a blue planet with rings around here. As I came screaming through this solar system, before an asteroid smacked right through my main view shield, and another through my engine intake sending me careening out of control and I had to eject, I thought I picked up a faint signal out there. Faint, very faint. It was on the old net grid wave length. You know, the ones the Femme Division would transmit short burst messages on."  
Without a second to spare, Ultra Magnus spins on his heel and dashes straight to the bridge controls. Punching in aggressively, he says nothing. Optimus is staring off into nothing, just pondering the universe when a hand grabs his bicep yanking him off his pedes and out of his daze. "COME!" is ordered and Prime is dragged stumbling through the vortex against his will.


	2. Fall

Ultra Magnus x Firestar. I haven't seen anyone else do this pairing but it was inspired by the one I did for Optimus and Firestar called Coral.

Fall

* * *

~~8~~  
With a gentle curl of Sledgehammer, Ultra Magnus brings her a respectful distance from the signal. His spark is telling him it's not a trap, but his battle processor told him to always be on guard. Thus he does both, stepping out in a sign of a rescuer with a hand to his sidearm. Optimus has promised to stay on board to monitor transmissions. He said nothing more about the crew just incase Springer was wrong.  
The moister rich fog thins as he steps closer and closer to the remains of another ship. The General's spark kicks his processor in a 'told you' so way when he sees the black ship with red trim and labeled, "4 M'lady."  
"Ironhide? Chromia?" The royal blue mech calls.  
Neither are the one to greet him though. No, it's his own field medic Topspin. "Sir? Ultra Magnus, is it really you?"  
"Indeed it is. Who is with you?"  
"Please, sir, you have no idea what a welcome sight you are!" With a respectful but urgent curl of his hand, he hurries them both back to the ship. Inside, the General is surprised to see who all is crammed into the transport smaller than his beloved Sledgehammer.  
Ironhide is fiddling with something half stuck under the dashboard of his ship. Sitting on his thighs trading out tools from the case in the pilot's seat is the dusky blue battle femme, Commander Chromia. She taps her mate's thigh, "Say hello, 'Hide."  
"Hello 'Hide," he half grunts still focused on his project.  
Chromia rolls her optics wiggling her fingers in cheeky greeting, "Hello, Ultra Magnus."  
"Magnus?!" Whack! "Dah SHIT!" The tough warrior curses still stuck under the dashboard, and slaps his mate's rump to let him up.  
She curls to her pedes and sniggers, "The rest are in the back, General. Topspin, show him."  
With a respectful nod, shorter blue and white one does so. There the taller mech ducks and sees a dusky rose femme he would know anywhere. His reserved composure plummets with a praise, "Primus you have been kind!" With a salute, he addresses the Prime's mate. "Ma'am, your mate is alive and awaiting for you. It would be my honor to return you to his side."  
Elita leaps to her pedes and wraps her arms around him. After all these vorns of their teams merging and then retreating along with the final blow to Cybertron resulting in their subsequent evacuation, he is more than a sight for sore optics. Of course she has missed her mate more, but this mech has been just as important in her life. At times a father to her femmes, a confidante for herself as a mate and fellow commander, and a powerful leader in his own right. Yes, he knows he should be stiff and firm, but nothing warms him more than seeing reunited mates. His arm comes around her softly. "He's just fine. Please, follow me right now."  
He did not see the last couple in the back corner, all he could see is getting Optimus and Elita back together. She steps back and he can see the spark inhibitor in the proper placement, on the outside of the armor. Everyone on the ship is wearing them this way, thank goodness.  
Swiftly, Ultra Magnus leads her to the soft red lights glowing eerily in the fog. At the twin lights, he calls the elevator down and they step aboard. He smiles and reaches for the inhibitor. "You won't need this onboard Sledgehammer."  
Once the elevator reaches the locked upright position, he twists the inhibitor off. Optimus whips around clutching his chest as if he had been punched. Elita wraps her hand around Magnus' wrist. "Is this real?"  
He steps forward holding her hand to his wrist. "Optimus, Elita, if this is a dream, it is one I have been blessed to share with you both."  
Optimus stumbles and falls at their knees. Elita arms wrap around his regal helm and slide through his reaching grasp to her own knees.  
Ultra Magnus nearly falls to his own in praise to their god. Instead, he finds himself and goes to grab some tools. It does not surprise him to find his ship lit up by two open spark chambers as he steps to the elevator to make his way back to "M'lady."  
He finds more than fog condensing on his cheeks as he reaches the black ship again. Placing a hand to the ship's side, he takes a few moments to gather himself back into the General-persona everyone knows.  
A soft hand touches his chest bring his optics back online. There he finds himself looking down into another SIC, this one of the femme division. "Thank you."  
"For what?"  
"Taking care of both of them first. Come, Inferno and Firestar are here, too."  
That makes his optics blink, "F-Firestar? Inferno?"  
She nods, "But I have to warn you, it's not good. You haven't by any chance seen Ratchet, have you?"  
"Yes, he's just a few planets over."  
"Do me a favor, get them both out of here. We will be fine for a while but… not them."  
"Wheeljack still has Jackhammer. I will send him back to help you with M'Lady."  
Chromia nods, "Good, good. Let's go." He hands the tools over to Ironhide and follows the femme.  
Sure enough, just as Chromia said, there is Inferno in a coma laying in Firestar's lap. She looks like one who has been hanging on to a hope she knows is futile. He knows that look all too well. It used to stare him in the mirror. Firestar has always been a reasonable femme. She's not hysterical (Elita won't have those on her team) but she is mated, so a healthy amount of angst and concern goes with the role.  
Crouching down, he reaches for his limp Wrecker. "Come on, I will take you to see Ratchet."  
"The others?" Firestar knows there is no need to move quickly just for Inferno's hopeless state.  
"Wheeljack is on the way. Go. I need someone to keep her from wearing the Prime out. You know how Elita can be when Optimus would come visiting," Chromia teases her order.  
Firestar sniggers and nods, "Yes Ma'am."  
Ultra Magnus is used to this loose banter between the femme ranks. It's much like the way Springer leads the Wreckers when he is not in charge. Elita and the General lead in a more structured style. In a way, it's very comforting to hear this banter as he lifts the dying mech from his mate's arms. More comforting is that Firestar's sense of humor is still intact.  
At the door, Ironhide joins them in escort to the ship. Chromia holds Firestar back a bit so Ironhide can tell Magnus, "Here is Topspin's medical report. I don't know how or why Inferno is hanging on. He should be dead at least four times over."  
"Is there anything in particular Wheeljack should bring for your ship?"  
"Fuel is primary. Secondary is a cosmotron." With a deep sigh he rubs a grubby hand to his hood, "If all else fails, a battery so I can fire up the self destruct. I know it might draw attention, but I would rather that than her to be scrapped by those 'Cons."  
Magnus nods, "Understood. I will let him know."  
By now they have reached the dropped elevator. Ironhide slaps the external com link, "Alright Optimus, tuck it way, the commander's back!" With that, he gives a wiry smirk to the General, "It's good to see you again, Mags."  
He would salute or clamp a hand to the shoulder, but with his hands full of red mech, he just gives his nod. Firestar steps to his side aboard the elevator and they rise. Chromia gives her medic a sad smile as Ironhide wraps an arm around his mate's shoulder. He does not envy the duty his sweet mate will have soon in caring for a grieving teammate.  
Magnus says nothing but lays the dying mech to his berth and motions to his med kit, "Help yourself. It won't take us very long to be on Earth." He gives a respectful nod and then heads towards his pilot's seat. Yes there's a lot he could say, but this is not the time or place. Right now, he needs to get them to Ratchet. Elita grabs him by and aerial planting a kiss on his cheek as she heads back to help Firestar and he heads to the cockpit. It warms both his spark and his cheeks.  
Optimus chuckles seeing the tinged white cheeks as he slumps into his seat. Ultra Magus raises an optic brow and gives a crooked smirk as he activates the engines, "You are fooling no one, Optimus, so you might want to work on wiping that smug look off your face."  
Innocently he raises his hands, "I did NOTHING!"  
Magnus now gives him both raised brows and pulls into outer space, "Optimus… please. You are worse than a first year cadet."  
With his own sheepish look, the Prime asks, "Can you blame me?"  
"No, I can't." It came out more sad than he planned it. Before Optimus can say anything, Magnus flips to a secured line. "Wheeljack, I have a situation….."

******  
Not long after Ultra Magnus had turned Inferno over to Ratchet's care, he is called back to the medbay. Firestar is leaning over Inferno tears streaming down her face, "He's asking for you."  
The mech is blind and beyond weak. Ratchet lays Ultra Magnus' hand into Inferno's. Inferno uses the last of his strength to bring it over Firestar's, "Sir… take…c-…her…." They all know what he meant. He's asking Ultra Magnus to look after his mate for him. "…pl-se…"  
Ultra Magnus has heard enough mechs as they die away. Some scream out cursing. Some say nothing and just weep. Some cry out in praise to joining someone. And then there are the few that beg someone to look after a possession or pet for them. The scarce beg for a mate or sparkling to be cared for.  
"Pro-m-ise… me!"  
"I will, soldier," The honorable mech accepts the death-berth-plea.  
Inferno turns his head to Firestar, "You-too. Will love you for-ev-er."  
"Darling, it's alright. You can go in peace now. Elita has Optimus again."  
Inferno shakes his head, that wasn't why he hung on. But the helm shake gets weaker and weaker until it stops. The rattling sound in the fire truck's chest stops. The vibrant red begins to fade away. Firestar's chest begins to hitch. Ultra Magnus knows he just made a vow, but he also knows, she needs to be alone. In fact, he needs to be alone himself. Softly he steps out of the med bay without a word to anyone. Elita pulls away from Optimus to see to her soldier. As Optimus tries to step closer to a fellow officer over the death of his soldier, a white raised hand keeps him at bay.  
He walks outside the base and takes off for a secluded spot where he can pound his fist into the ground repeatedly swearing at Primus for taking Inferno from Firestar.

*****  
Composed, he makes his way back to the base the next evening. There he can see Jackhammer and M'Lady's crew have returned. Everyone has been trying to console Firestar to the point where she is ready to punch them all. Including the children.  
"Firestar, please walk with me," carefully her dead mate's superior gives a soft order.  
It surprises her. Her own Commanding Officer is busy with her own mate, thus there is really no one else to override his call. She swallows and tries to find an excuse. She has none left when his soft hand gesture pleads reaching out for her. Its there that she can see its not just she that need consolation. He needs it too. Silently she walks with him.

The cold sunset feels just like her spark. Going cold. Going dark. Going to sleep. "I knew he wouldn't make it. I don't know what he stuck around for so long."  
"Its what rescue heroes and Wreckers do," Ultra Magnus nudges. "To the very end."  
"And what was the end?" She looks to him for help in understanding.  
"You are back among friends."  
"I was there on Neptune too, so how is this different?"  
For that he is stuck and just shrugs shaking his head. "I gave up a long time ago trying to figure you two out."  
Firestar stalls in her walk and plants her fists to her hips, "What is that supposed to mean?!"  
Ultra Magnus stalls in his walk too, but doesn't face her. She's just lost her terminally ill mate and this might not be the best time to do this. He wants to shove his pede in his mouth, but it's too late, the conversation has been started. With a strength he forgot she has, the fire-orange hand grabs his forearm and jerks. He turns only his helm in surprise.  
Ah yes, there it is. Sweet Firestar's flames in her optics. She looks all peaceful most of the time, but she can be quite the firecracker with her temper. Right now, her temper is aimed at him and she's not letting up by the way she jerks his arm again.  
"Do you realize that of all the personal relationships I've had to mediate, yours is the one I saw the most often?"  
Her shoulders slump in shame, but he gives her a crooked smile. "I will agree many a time I wanted to finish you both off an save my sanity. Yet, you two never gave up on each other. Even if the same arguments came round and round, you two were always asking and wanting help." He steps forward pulling his forearm and her hand closer to his chest to lay his other hand on her cheek. "Some days, you two didn't deserve each other, other days you two were perfect halves to a whole."  
He thumbs over her cheek, "I wish half the damaged relationships could have seen you today, Firestar."  
His throat closes up again hearing Inferno's last words to her and Firestar's release to him as well. "You two make me so proud."  
The vibrant femme's chin waivers and takes a step forward. It's not the first time he's wrapped an arm around her while she cried, but this time, she has no one she will go back to. All she has is him who knew about some of the core troubles she had with Inferno.  
Her arms won't go all the way around his thick muscular waist like she would with Inferno, so she dips one hand into his 'belt' to hang on and the other hangs on to a piece of his chest grill. The tears are silent and practically dry. She's cried too long and too many times over the dying fire truck. No, this time her tears are for the comfort a gentle mech is giving her.  
Magnus leans and curls in cupping one hand around her helm the other covering her hand on his chest. "Do you know the honest core to your troubles that you two always danced around?"  
Her chin rubs against his chest in a positive nod. "I always knew and so did he. We promised to never burden you or Elita about it."  
"Will you tell me now?"  
She tips her helm back to look up to his curious optics from a slightly canted helm. She can't help but smile a little. The way his brow furrows in a pent up frustration, he looks so adorable. Like a sparkling that can't figure out a math problem.  
"What? You have no idea for how long I have watched a tenacious spit fire crumble at my desk while a normally reserved and respectful mech swears and rants about his beloved mate and all this while I'm wishing I was negotiating for the unification of Cybertron in my very office instead! Please, just a hint?"  
She giggles and then sniggers. "I'm so sorry, Magnus. We had no idea we put you through all that. I know we drove you nuts and you had better things to do than listen to us, but we didn't want to burden you further, so we made a promise."  
Once more his expression changes and his hand drops from her cheek. "I would never ask you to break a promise."  
The honor and dignity he gives them both melts her. Ultra Magnus is amazing and wonderful. Diligent. Focused. Sweet in his reserved way. He loves his troops by discipline and prayers. Why isn't he of all mechs bonded? "The promise has been dissolved. I need you to answer something for me first, though."  
With his commander's tone of reservations, he answers, "If I can."  
"Is the rumor fact or fiction that you had a spark mate?"  
"I did. She died just short of our first anniversary of a terminal illness."  
Firestar's face falls and she grips to his lower back and chest, "I-I'm so sorry, Ultra Magnus."  
He gives her a dawing smile. It moves him so that she would give such compassion to him on the dawn of her own widowhood. His hand returns to her cheek, "It's alright, my dear. It was many lifetimes ago. At least I have loved even if I have lost."  
Her hand leaves his chest and touches his cheek in return, "That explains how you can understand us so well."  
The white face tinges red under her hand and the optic twinkles, "So, I gave, now your turn."  
"I wanted a sparkling. He said after the war, I didn't want to wait." With the change in his expression, she says nothing more.  
If anything, Magnus looks furious. "That dead damned fool!"  
Firestar blinks hard. She had totally expected the older superior mech to take Inferno's side of the argument.  
The seasoned blue optics look deep into hers, "You are a fool too. You should have told me!"  
"Me?! What would you have done?"  
Magnus' chest begins to hitch and pant in frustration. Firestar tries to stroke his face to calm him but it only seems to heat him more. The arm around her waist is holding her tighter and tighter to his frame. It's there she sees something change in his optics. It's not scary though, it's something else, a different kind of depth to the color and gaze.  
His tone drops deep with reverence, "The greatest gift a mech can ever give his femme is a new life. Firestar, you of all femmes deserved to have that gift after all you have done to try saving lives for Cybertron!"  
Firestar swallows hard. Oh Primus! How warm and compassionate Ultra Magnus is! What a gentlemech he is to see warrior femmes as equals if not better than the mechs. More than that, he's talking directly to her of all femmes.

"Mags…." She whispers the illegal nickname.  
That's when the scale tipped and in a flash his open mouth is upon hers. His lips surround and pull at hers before releasing to regrasp. Firestar's hand opened and released his cheek, but with the reclaps of his lips, she clamps to the nape encouraging him on.  
With both of his arms wrapped tightly around her body, his hands grip when her tongue tip peeks out to encourage him once again. It may have been a long time since he kissed a femme so passionately, but he is far from rusty. Her neck bends back into the cup of his hand as he plunges gently but deeper and harder.  
Her hand slips into the crease of his back plate and down. There one finger finds the crease of his bare aft. He growls. She moans and presses the finger deeper.  
That's when he finds his head and yanks back panting. Part of him is very apologetic to his forwardness. Another piece is far from sorry.  
"An honorable mech such as you deserved better than you had, too," She keeps him from apologizing. "Primus can be so cruel sometimes."  
Ultra Magnus' chest is still rising and falling at a deep pace even if it's a bit more controlled and slower now. The optics are asking questions that the mouths refuse to ask and audios are afraid could translate wrong.  
He told her what he thought, what he wanted for her. She heard what he wanted for himself but was not given the chance (so she thinks at the moment). On top of all that, they have great respect and honor for each other that goes beyond professional. Personal yes, but not on this level before.  
One is recently widowed. One has been widowed for eons. Both have been aching for over a millennia. The hand on his nape drops, but the hand on his back does not release, so he can't step back. He watches her hand slide down his throat and chest. There, as a field medic, she finds the catches to the commander's asbargo and loosens it a little bit. From there she slides a hand under the armor plating to the softer skin beneath.  
A deep inhale to the large mech's chest hesitates her hand as it makes it's way to the tell tale crease and dip in the center of his chest. With his optics halving, she continues her search and stops once the hand lays flat over the closed area where his spark chamber resides.  
He can't move. She just lost her mate. Would it be wrong of him to do this? Inferno's been in a coma for so long. Tonight's words were the first she heard in so long and will never hear again. Then again, Firestar is no floozy. She is not one who gives her spark away easily. How many times did she just come into his office and just sit so he wouldn't be alone? How many times did she offer her bunk on those stop overs just so he could have a quiet place to crash for a few moments?  
How many times in her arguments with Inferno did she have a crazy thought of wishing Magnus would be more then an audio? How many times after his kind words consoled her did she have a dream of him instead of her mate?  
Primus gypped them both. Or wait…. Did he set them up?  
The larger hand slides over hers on top of his spark and pulls them both away. She looks so disappointed until he brings it to his lips and kisses them like a lady should be treated. Holding those tips to his sweet lips, he pulls her devious hand from his aft to bring the wrist to his neck. From there, she finds herself lifted bridal style and carried off to Sledgehammer and the door locked securely. Even Wheeljack won't figure out this new code.  
Firestar finds herself laid out on his standard bunk (for a mech of his size). She smiles seeing the pillow and blanket perfectly folded and tucked back into the net above the bulkhead where it won't shift in transit.  
He shakes his head and pucks them both out tossing them at her. She tucks them under her helm along with one hand under her nape. Her other hand hooks a finger into his grill pulling him down for another hot kiss. He braces himself over her by one hand, hip to the berth-top beside hers while he flicks his grieves and sabatons off with the remaining hand.  
"Magnus-" she beams against his lips.  
"Mags," he corrects her giving her a rarely seen charming smile. "I will be your Mags."  
Now its her turn to have her spark hitch. He's really going to go through with this. He's not play around. He's not going to distract her, he's going to give his life to her.  
When she says nothing more and his leggings are gone, he moves himself on palms and knees over her. Enough room for her to get away if need be, but hovering enough to keep going if she would like. "Firestar…."  
"'Star…"  
He shakes his head slowly and lowers down to his forearms, and crouches down until his thighs and calves touch. A finger touches her lips. He will not call her by the name Inferno called her. He traces those lips he made swollen, "Sparky."  
"Sparky?" She blinks. It's not like Ultra Magnus to make jokes. Crouched over her on the verge of interfacing plus bonding and he's going to give her a child's nickname?  
"Yes, my Sparky," he pulls at her lips again until the kiss breaks with a plucking sound. Then he nuzzles his own swollen lips into her neck hallow and plucks and nips his kisses up to her audio while tugging bits of orange and red armor aside.  
"Yes, Sparky. For when I get done fusing our sparks together, I'm going to spark-you-up." She mewls a cry into his sweet and seductive promise that Inferno wouldn't give her. He nips and tugs at the bit of her audio adornments adding a sultriness to his tone.  
"And then once you birth that one, I will spark you again." He kisses down into the base of her throat yanking the last of her armor away, "And then again."  
His lips nuzzle lower and his tongue tip dips into her spark chamber rim. "I will spark you repeatedly until you beg me to stop." He loves how her breath hitches but her chest rises wanting more of his touches.  
"Fuck," slips out. It's driving her insane to feel the highly dignified and seasoned Commander (who is feared and revered on both sides of this war) turn into such a seductive and virile beast with the removal of his armor. She knows she is stripped bare as well, but doesn't remember him doing it, for her hand is still tucked under her nape. His hurr into licking her spark chamber has the poor broken thing weeping. Firestar reaches under his helm with a shaky hand and lifts his chin until the adoring older optics look into her worried younger ones.  
"You have to make me a promise, My Mags. If you are going to do this for me, you have to help me raise them. They will need a good mech role model." She tried to sound confident but her voice is warbling.  
With a swell to his chest, the widower plants his chest directly over the widow's and gives her a hard gaze with a warm but solid promise. "If those Damned Decepticons thought General Ultra Magnus was a pain in their aft and a beast to kill, they have seen NOTHING compared to sparkmate and sire Magnus." His chest plates pull back bathing her in his life's glow. "I have so much more I am fighting for now."  
"Fight? I don't want you to fight for it."  
He smiles and strokes her scared face, "Let me restate that. I have a reason to come home at night." His finger slips from her cheek, down her throat to her spark-rim, "May I show you?" He's giving her one last chance to refuse his offer to bond her spark to his. It doesn't make her want to back down, it only solidifies her desire to want him.  
"Yes," her own chest plates pull back and her spark reaches up for him.  
Magnus is afraid he will crush her if he keens during this, so he slumps a hip and shoulder to the berth hauling her to her side as well. As the sparks learn how to talk to each other, Magnus pulls one of her thighs between both of his and presses his arm to the length of her spine. "That's it, Sparky, feel me…."  
Her spark giggles against his to the name. He hadn't even thought of it that way, but now he too can find it amusing. As Sparky soothes her way into Mag's emotions, she finds a surprise.  
"Y-you… you love me?" She gapes. He tries to shy away, but she chases down that feeling not letting it hide. If anything, she needs to see more.  
He knew it was wrong to love a spark mate of another, let alone one of his own soldiers, but he did. He knew if he couldn't love her for himself, the least he could do, was make sure she was happy with Inferno. That's just what he did. This also explains why he was so angry that Inferno denied her their sparkling.  
Sparky swells and finds this respect, friendship and admiration for the older mech growing more and more. Was it too soon to love again? Is this love she feels? She's quite certain that if it isn't it will be very quickly. For everything she just learned (and feels) just proves he is more than safe to love. Not just as an over all gentlemech, but as HER mech.  
It surprises him to feel her physically kiss him while still exploring this bonding process. She's not ashamed of his hidden love for her, she's enamored by it. "Oh Mags…." With that, he releases another piece of his life to her.  
His dear dead mate had been terminally ill and they both knew it. She tried to give him an heir, a piece of her to live on, but in the end, he lost them both. The incubation process actually hastened the progression of the illness. His guilt is that he was pretty sure it would, but she had pleaded and begged him to spark her. She had hoped that Primus would be kind and bless them with this even if their life together would not be forever. It brought her great pleasure to know she was incubating for him and it seemed to bring her a new hope and a radiant smile he didn't think he would ever see again. Even pale and coughing, she would tell him all her great plans for their sparkling and made him promise to carry them all out. He nodded and had actually begun to hope with her.  
Until the fever struck. Primus had been kind enough to send her into a coma so that she would never know the sparkling was failing and would never survive. Magnus held her in his arms as she died in the night. In the morning, he wrapped her up with the little blanket she had handmade for their heir, and walked her to the plot of land he had already purchased instead of a cradle.

Sparky and femme sob into him. "Shhh, shh, it's alright, Firestar. Heyyyyy, shhhh…" he tries to soothe her as she tries to soothe him as if it was a fresh moment of time.  
Seeing that he can't soothe her through the spark bond, he folds up that memory, much to her whimper, so that he can pulse out his present desires. Sparks refocused, both sets of wet optics look at each other. "Now it's time I give your our future. It's been awhile for me, so forgive me," he tries to tease.  
He needn't have worried though. His hands still know how to touch a lady so gently and amorously. His lips are just as sensuous to their touch. Firestar wraps her hands around his antenna spires and guides him along her coral skin. Down and within he pleasures her until her back is arching so high and she is mewling out his name. She doesn't cry loudly, no, she is mewling and praising.  
Inferno had been so sick that that it had been even longer than his last words that they had interfaced. She's so tender that every touch is heightened and wanted. "Mags, please!" The anxious femme is writhing on the owner's berth.  
"Yes, my love…." he softly croons and she keens. His spark jumps feeling her overload against his. Just his touches and his words send her spark keening?! Swiftly he captures her lips and body for himself. Firestar clings to him with arms, legs, spark, lips… everything she has she gives to him and he takes them all.  
His greatest pleasure is watching her. Ricocheting back, is her pleasure in seeing he has given her pleasure and so the cycle spins out of control. "Darling…."  
Neither has any idea who has crested first this time, nor do they care. All they care is that they are here together now.  
Sparks must return to their chambers as bodies begin to cool and calm and the mech falls to his back. Sparky, lifts her mate's helm to slide the pillow under. Mags, flicks the thick blanket over his mate splayed across his perspired form. "Mm, Mags."  
He kneads into her nape and kisses her forehelm, "Yes?"  
"I know Optimus and Elita are in this position, is there anyone else who can take your post for a day or two?"  
"Oh, I didn't think of that. Hold on." With an arch to his neck touches his helm com, "Ironhide?"  
"General! Thank goodness you checked in! We've been worried. We can't find Firestar. Elita and Chromia are beside themselves!  
Mags smiles and rubs his mate's back lovingly even though giving off a serious and professional tone of voice. "She is quite safe. I'm keeping a optic on her." He winks.  
Firestar is a bit spent and with her cheek pressed to his broad chest, she can only give him a half lid smirk.  
"What is she doing?!" Chromia bursts through the communiqué.  
"Resting. She needs some sleep." With a slight cough, the General tries again. "Uh, Ironhide, could you take command until tomorrow evening."  
Ironhide stalls in answering but then draws out his answer, "Ooookay. Seriously, is everything alright? Nothing crazy is going on, right?"  
Mags turns soft seeing Firestar's mouth has gone slack falling asleep. "Everything is just as it should be. Ultra Magnus out." And he snicks the line to only be interrupted by an emergency alarm. He tucks that arm under his own helm and pillow so he can get a better look at his sleeping mate. More than that; the other half of his sparkling's genetics.  
"Sleep well both of you," and gives her a light peck so not to awaken her.


	3. Winter

Winter  
(f) Red Alert x Ratchet

"Ultra Magnus?!"  
"Darling, it's the third time they have pinged you. You might want to answer them."  
The naked General is a little busy nibbling on his mate's hip to answer his ship's com-line. He cants his helm ever so slightly in a classic, "You really want me to stop now?" look. Just for that, he touches her in just such a way, that even she did not hear the fourth ping of his name.  
This next time a different voice and a different call is made, "Ultra Magnus, just what are you doing?" Crap, it's not like he can really ignore the Prime. The others he could pull rank on, but not this one.  
"Shit," he hisses the Earth term shocking his mate, "What!" he barks back into harshly activated com unit, instantly regretting his tone only to swear again.  
"Uh, Magnus? Are you alright? It's not like you not to answer our calls."  
"I'm busy."  
A long silence before the Prime asks again carefully, "Doing what?"

The great older mech takes a slow deep cleansing breath. Its been a few days since he gave his spark to Firestar (his Sparky). So far they are keeping it quiet lest someone judge them for bonding on the same night Inferno finally let go and passed on. To them, Inferno needed to see them together before he did. The others may or may not take the news so well.  
Anyway, so just like any newly bonded pair who have been abstained for who knows how long, they can't get enough of each other. Just to add icing to the cake, they are trying desperately to make a sparkling. This interruption to their morning lovemaking is not helping one little bit.  
"Nothing," comes out a bit calmer this time. "What do you need, Sir?" Mags plants his kiester to the berth pad and slumps onto the corner of his alcove-berth. His mate settles herself into his lap snuggling into his wrapping arms, and nuzzling into his throat. A hurr escapes his throat when she begins to nibble this time.  
"We picked up another signal and we need someone to check it out. Wheeljack is still trying to work on M'lady. Can you make the trip or are you too…. 'busy'?"  
Mags purses his lips. Optimus knows, damn. At this close, she can read not only his facial and body language, she can also read his spark-language.  
"Maybe, but what EXACTLY does he know?" Firestar quietly asks to her secret mate.  
Optimus coughs in a gentlemech manner hearing her, "Firestar, I know that something is up when my Second in Command doesn't ask me what I need on the first ping." He takes his own sigh, "I don't really care what you two are up to, it might even be good for you both. Go with him for all I care, he could probably use the company. Just go check out the signal. Please?" The last part is clearly a deep exasperated plea.  
Mags clunks his helm back against the hull, "Fine. We take off in twenty. I have a pre-flight inspection I need to finish. Just zip me the information and we will check it out."  
A whoosh is heard from the other end. "Thank you, General. Out."  
Mags suckles into her neck, "Now, where was I?" She takes his hand and plants it back to her hip. "Riiiiiiight," he continues where he left off.

***  
Twenty minutes of 'pre-flight check', and then five for a real pre-flight check and the couple find themselves looking over the transmitted data. Firestar taps the map of the solar system. "Mags, this is all the way out at their planet called Pluto. It's going to be cold and dark."  
Feeling like millennia have fallen off his rough life, his spryer form leans over her chair at the science terminal and breathes his young-bold desire into her audio. "I'll keep you warm if you are afraid of freezing." Her hands skip a beat on the screen and he smirks arrogantly.  
She turns and lets him kiss her hotly before she smiles against his lips, "Darling, I have no fear of the cold or dark with you around, but I was thinking you need more than a mere field medic on this trip if there really are bots out on that place. Remember what Arcee said about when she and Optimus got trapped at this planet's north pole, this place is going to be far worse."  
He actually growls. That does make her shocked. "Mate, are you threatened by Ratchet?"  
He turns the chair and kneels before her, "I am threatened by no one." He tries to hide his pout. She can't help but smile because he looks so CUTE and no one would ever suspect Ultra Magnus of all bots as being cute and jealous! "I just wanted… you know…," he flushes to his immature side being needy for her.  
Firestar slips her arms around his neck, bringing her closer to him, "When we get back, take me around the moon and we can finish this morning's wake up call."  
"The sooner we leave, the sooner I will have you back under me." She shivers hearing that dark predatory sound coming from him.  
WOW! Her spark flutters. Even Inferno had not been this possessive! It's thrilling and yet a bit worrisome for her. Ultra Magnus has always been a gentleman and she doesn't want the Autobots losing their much needed commander as he becomes her mate and sire to their sparklings. Chewing on her lip, she ponders this new side to him. The medic-side of her latches onto a thought to his new domineer.  
"Um, darling, I'm going to ask Ratchet to bring a certain device."  
"What KIND of device?" He isn't so sure he likes her being sneaky. Feeling her adjust, he finds his hand laid to the spot just below her spark chamber where the gestational pod is. "Oh, right. Good idea," he feels dense for not having thought of that.  
With her sweet smile and a last peck to his lips, he rolls back to stand tall and touches his comm. with his clear and dignified military tone. "Doctor, we request you join us. The conditions appear to be quite severe and the well being of the new arrivals might need your expertise."  
"Very well. I will gather my kit."  
Firestar patches in and asks him for one last piece of equipment. Although the doctor hesitates, he does as she asks and bridges to the place Magnus normally hides his precious ship.

Magnus closes the door and lifts off as soon as Ratchet is aboard. Ratchet ignores the pilot and comes to the field medic. "Look, I don't want to get your hopes up, Inferno was pretty sick, I'm just not sure that his-" Ultra Magnus growls.  
Ratchet looks between his former student and the former leader of the Wreckers. Firestar looks down to her hands, "Just do the scan, please."  
"Fine," he pulls out slowly curious to Ultra Magnus' super tense posture. "Let's go to the back, you know the procedure, correct?"  
"It's been a very long time, but refresh me?" She looks back over her shoulder once more, but her mate is concentrating, and then heads to the now pristine berth. Removing a few bits of armor, Ratchet begins his scans on the femme's torso.  
"Well, it certainly looks like you have been trying," he tries to give a straight face now understanding the great mech's growling-attitude and seeing the viable evidence of their 'pre-flight check' in her body. With a soft breath, continues his scan, "I don't see anything else…. Yet," he pushes for her not to give up hope. Averting his optics, she turns away to snap on her armor.  
Respectful as ever, he says nothing else about her scan or who has made a new deposit to her body. He's not sure if she is hopeful or worried and decides to play it safe. "It's a good thing you asked me to bring it, I have a feeling with all the bonded pairs showing up, it will just be a matter of time before this gets a lot of use. I'm going to look it over and make sure everything is in working order."  
With a silent nod, Firestar makes her way back up to the cockpit and takes a seat beside her new mate. Ratchet watches them closely: Her helm slumps, Ultra Magnus' hand gives hers a squeeze, her helm turns to him, he smiles encouragingly. Ratchet smiles. It warms the medic to see both Firestar and Ultra Magnus no longer alone in life. The broken sparks have found a new hope to latch onto.  
Sinking his optics to the device in his lap, his hand absently rubs his own aching chest. Once more he tries not to let his own dying prayers and lost hope override the current situation of rescuing another Autobot or Magnus and Firestar's new life. With a shaking breath, he makes sure everything is calibrated properly and rechecks his med kit once more.

Cruising all the way out to the tiny ice ball of a grey blue planet called Pluto, the group is very professional. Ratchet makes sure Firestar gets some much needed rest while saying nothing to Ultra Magnus about the relationship he witnessed. Ultra Magnus is grateful and stay tactical and professional as well.

Soon enough they arrive. Sledgehammer bucks and jerks against the nasty icy winds. More than a blizzard, the good sized ship is buffeted and beaten by flying rocks of ice. "We better hurry. This signal looks like it's fading."  
Firestar looks to the two mechs for advice. Ratchet hands her a data pad, "Get these ready."  
Ultra Magnus grabs his hammer from above his berth and points to the elevator, "Close it once we get down. I don't want ice building up on the telescoping rods. I'll give you plenty of notice to drop it for us." He's left just standing there just looking at her. She knows better than to be worried for him but still, it's the first mission he's been on since they bonded.  
Ratchet shakes his head, "I'm turning my head, just be quick will you?" And heads for the lift.  
Firestar steps closer and Mags rest the hammer head to the floor lightly, "Hey, it's going to be fine. Just a little ice and cold."  
She presses her forehelm into his bowed one, "I know. It's just…. It's a rescue mission, you know like we used to…."  
He gives her a soft smile rubbing a thumb over her lips, "Hey, its alright to miss him. I sure do." She nods accepting his support. "Just… be awake when I get back, promise me that?" She nods again into his own loss he hopes not to repeat. With that, he gives her a light warm kiss and takes his hammer back up. Firestar lets her mentor and mate down into the ice and chill to save another life.

When the Ambulance and the Armored Transport arrive within sight of the crashed ship, they are both left shaking their helms. The hull is cracked like an egg. There is no salvaging of this mangled wreck like M'lady. Anyone in here is going to be either very lucky or wishing they were very dead.  
"OH Primus!" Ratchet grips his tightening chest and rushes into the ship. Magnus just blinks in surprise trying to follow the white mech through the swirling blue and white flurries lit up by Sledgehammer's external lights. Even with his longer leg strides, he has a hard time keeping up. Something is driving the older medic with quite the passion.  
"RATCHET!" but his words are whipped away in the wind. He arrives just in time to see the mech disappear inside the crack. For him, he has to rip and tear at the gash until there is room for his larger frame. This time he uses his com-line, "Ratchet, what is it?"  
"My Red Alert!" it's a panicked wail.  
Magnus shoves himself forward harder and faster. He knows the pain of an aching bondmate. Ratchet has been without his Red Alert for how long and if she is the only life sign they were receiving from this wreck! He surges carefully once more hoping that his bulking frame won't implode the twisted and buckled shuttle. Following the headlights on Ratchet's chest, he finds Ratchet pushing one dead body off another frozen form. With out a taking a breath, Ratchet grabs the femme by her chest grill and shakes, "RED! Wake up RED!"  
Magnus taps his comm. back to his ship, "Firestar, prepare the med-kits for hypothermia. Get the thermal blankets and start them up!"  
With a clasp of a hand to the CMO's shoulder he barks an order, "Get her back to the ship, I'll continue here. Go."  
Ratchet didn't have to be told twice and scoops up his frozen love. Pulsing his words and spark love hard over her, he races back to the intact blue ship with his precious cargo. Even slipping through the icy and drifts he surges back to the safety of Sledgehammer. Firestar is at the ready to help her mentor as the lift slowly brings them up inside. She tries to take the frozen femme, but Ratchet won't release his mate continuing to mutter to her unresponsive form.  
Tugging his arm as the chunks of ice slide off his body melting on the floor, Firestar pushes out her support, "I have the thermal blankets ready. I have a spark monitor charged. What else do you need?"  
He lays the white and red form out and takes a deep breath to shove his personal thoughts to the back of his mind leaving room for his professional side to take over. "Hypothermia."  
Firestar sees the professional everyone trusts coming back round. "Yes. Her core temperature is dangerously close to death already in stasis lock."  
"Help me," he begins pulling at his armor.  
"Right!" She snaps to understanding the best way to reheat a near death-frozen form is body-to-body contact. Swiftly she begins tugging at the femme's white and red armor while Ratchet continues toss his own aside.  
Firestar is quite surprised to see how quickly the stocky mech can shluck his own armor and is helping her roughly discard the rest of Red Alter. Laying his larger, fuller form over the still one, his hands begin the rough rubbing to stimulate circulation. Firestar wedges her smaller hands here and there in between them to get monitors stuck on to the limp one.  
"Come on Babe, come back to me. You've made it this far, don't you dare give up on us now!" Ratchet's tone is firm but also warm.  
"Ratchet, her spark is retreating." Firestar taps the monitor really hoping she is reading that wrong. Ratchet is a bit firmer in his aggressive touches trying to get Red Alert to come round.  
"Wait, how close are you to Red," Firestar asks the delicate question.  
Ratchet stalls and turns his head. Terror of losing the love of his life is quite evident across his face. "We are sparkmates."  
Firestar beams, "Perfect!"  
That pulls his face instantly from worry to confusion, "Come again?" Now it's his turn to feel dense when she explains.  
Firestar grabs a retractor stimulant, "Half of her life is yours. Reach in there and bring her home. Don't let her give up."  
Normally a forced spark merge could be considered the equivalent of rape, but not what she is implying here. What she is saying is, reaching within yourself and find your other half and safe it from dying. His spark is not going to 'take' or consume Red Alert's, no, he's going to reach in and touch it lightly letting her know they are home again. With that touch, she won't give up…hopefully. The down side to this is that if Red is that far gone and Ratchet dives in for her retreating life, she could take him with her into the Well of Sparks and Firestar will lose them both.  
With a touch to his furrowing brow, Firestar smiles, "Would you have it any other way?"  
Ratchet shakes his head and takes the stimulator that will override and retract her spark chamber doors, much like spreading a ribcage to do open heart surgery on a human. Firestar pulls the thermal blankets over the bonded pair and the tugs the berth curtain closed to both give them privacy and added trapped warmth.  
The half grieving mech looks down on his beloved mate. This will either bring them back together, or kill them both. "Babe, I'm coming for you. Hang on."  
First he retracts his own spark chamber panels and then lightly touches the stimulator to her own chest. He's hoping that her spark will hear his calling out. Nothing. So he brings it up another notch and touches again. The locking pings retract and he tosses the stimulant rod aside so his light thumb can caress and gently push the doors aside. No need to leave the patient more battered by the cure than the curse.  
Once more, his spark softly calls out for her. Nothing. So he lays himself fully over her and sends his spark into her chamber. There she is, his spark flares and reaches out.  
Cold, lost and ready to give up, it's so small and tucked away to the deepest recesses of the chamber, she ready to join the AllSpark. Ratchet's spark sinks, kneeling before her.  
"I'm here. I'm really here. Please, stay with me," he pleads.  
"You're here where? In the AllSpark or in the real world?"  
"In the real world. I'm never letting you go again. You will not leave my side again, I will not let you go without me."  
"It's warm again, maybe we should just go Home where it is safe," she still ponders if he is real or not.  
He waves his comfort over her spark. "I know, Babe. If that is what you want, then I will go with you, but I would like for you to consider something else before you decide."  
She sighs, but listens. "The bonded are coming back together again. There is talk of starting families. I'm ready. I'm finally ready. You don't have to hide anymore. I will give it to you."  
"Really?" She blinks and flares. Having seen a lot in his vorns, the older mech has refused for so long to give her his half of a sparkling. The last argument had been so bad that he stormed off to protect the Prime over staying and giving Red her deepest desire. She thought she died that day when he left.  
Now, she can feel his spark-tears too. That day had been just as awful for him as well. Everyone takes his grouse for being just a cantankerous old grouch. Only Optimus knows that he is kicking himself for being an idiot for running away from his hurting mate.  
"Ratchet, bring me home, please," sweet and firm Red Alert wraps herself around his spark.  
The gentlemech extends his graceful bow, "It would be my honor and privilege."

Firestar hears a femme's gasp of reawakening from the closed berth. Ratchet's deep voice is muffled but the soft crooning is pretty obvious. She is pretty sure she knows what is going to happen next, but ahh where to go to give them further privacy. Swiftly she goes to the cockpit and taps into the comm.-link. There she distracts and keeps Ultra Magnus off the ship for a bit longer helping him decide what materials and data files to bring over from the wrecked ship.

Back behind the curtain, Ratchet removes the last two pieces of red and white armor. Maybe they shouldn't be doing this right here and right now, but even as a medical professional he knows that intimate body to body contact is the best way to stimulate frozen circulation inside and out. Besides, this is his long lost spark mate begging him to cuddle and refill their love.  
He is very careful in slow tender movements and open suckling kisses along her body. Red has never felt more alive that right now. Every kiss, every touch brings her body online again. There are places she forgot her body even had. Nothing brings her more around that the sweet look in his optics that he only ever had for her.  
Soon she bites her lip and begs him for further deeper caresses. With a compassionate kiss, he does. She's not the only one coming alive. Having her form against and around him reminds him all he is living for. Cybertron be damned, his life is in his hands right now mewling out his name with each careful stroke against each other.  
Red grips the back of his neck and yanks him down into a drinking kiss, surging her spark up into his chest as hard as his body is pressing into hers. It makes him laugh to thing of her possibly implanting into him instead of the other way round. With another surge of her chest shooting grappling tingles into his chamber, his body reciprocates into hers.  
Both bodies pant. Both sparks collapse back into their respective chambers. The soft glow of the berth nightlight illuminates their flushes cheeks.  
"Warm?" She asks him.  
He gives her a rakish smirk, "On fire."  
She giggles and snuggles into his form slumping to his side. "Please don't let go."  
He strokes a finger down her nose, "Um, you are under a doctor's care. You aren't going anywhere."  
With that, she pulls his arm so that his lies more over her, "There, now I'm under your care." He chuckles and tucks her face into the hallow of his throat.  
With the still of their love making, a creak of hull snaps him back to full reality. "Oh shit!" he touches the comm. above the berth, "Firestar, get your mate back on board before he freezes to death!"  
A warm chuckle come back over the line, "I'm here and safe, Doctor. How fairs your own mate?"  
Red looks up to Ratchet with a most sedate grin. Ratchet's worries whoosh out and he takes two more breaths before answering, "I have her back."  
Ultra Magnus hums and then fires up the engines. "Good, good. Unfortunately, we could not save anyone else. I am going to blow the ship."  
Red soothes a hand over Ratchet's closed spark chamber bringing her cheek to it as well as he frowns. She was the only one to survive this trip and he nearly lost her as well. With a nod of her helm, she gives the authorization to destroy her ship and bury her teammates in the icy tomb.  
The medical mates clutch each other as the ship rises and the weapon is discharged. The rocking to the ice-rocks pinging against the reinforced hull bottom has them rolling a bit, but Ultra Magnus is a certified pilot and has them heading back to Earth in a short matter of time.  
From the cockpit, Magnus cuts the berth nightlight. In other words, he tells them to get some sleep. For the first time in a long time, Ratchet follows someone else's medical advice and does so. For the first sleep in such a long time, both of them find their dreams comforting and warm.  
By the time they arrive back at Earth, both of them are well rested and Red is able to walk off the ship hand in hand with her mate.


	4. Summer

Summer  
{Dedicate to Lecidre and the PercyxMoony club on da.}

Earth has slipped to the next season since Ratchet's precious mate arrived bringing the femme count up one more. Now it's getting hotter in the northern hemisphere of Earth but even more so in the private quarters of the bonded couples. Now more than ever, Ratchet is pleased to have three field medics at his aid. He's going to need them!

Sweltering Fowler quietly approaches the unworried Autobot Second in Command as he searches through the computer files. "General, can we talk?"  
That does turn the blue helm curiously, "Concerning what?"  
Fowler is relaxed against the railing but is scratching nervously into his nape. "Well, quite honestly, the shift in this war. Is there even a war going on anymore?" Magnus just blinks, so the human liaison continues, "The battles have diminished drastically and the items being stolen these days really has me and my team utterly confused."  
That does bring Ultra Magnus to turn completely from his computer and contemplate what Fowler is saying. "What are the humans missing now? You haven't said before so it must not be something of dire consequences."  
Fowler takes a deep sigh and lays a hand out towards the private quarters where the bonded couples seem to be spending most of their time these days. Ultra Magnus and Ironhide have been lucky enough to have their own ships to harbor away their mates, still it's true there has been a lot less chasing of the Decepticons these days. This brings him to rub his chin curiously as the human continues.  
"Do you remember how Elita and the femmes have been asking me for recycled or discarded billboard vinyl signs, large pieces of heavy canvas, and even parachute material?"  
Silently Ultra Magnus nods. He knows exactly what it's for, but still no one has wanted to break the news to the human military that the Cybertronian residents are propagating. After all this time of believing their race was dying, hope has finally arisen and it's taking a lot for it to completely soak in. They don't want to deal with the humans quashing that dream again. For so long many believed like Inferno that there was no point in birthing sparklings among a war only to instigate more grief if they fall victim to the horror, yet finally many have changed their minds. Currently the Autobots have at least three and hopefully a fourth sparkling on the way. This human-made material will be perfect for sparkling bedding and soft toys.  
Fowler scowls to the fact that once again, no one is telling him why the Autobots need this material. For the life of him, he can not see how this material will aid in their fight with the Decepticons. He takes a deep breath and blows out his exasperation between pursed lips. "FINE!" Ultra Magnus hides his smirk behind a curled finger over his lips. "Across the globe, other manufacturing companies of like material have reported large quantities of violet, ruby red, silver and chartreuse green missing."  
Both optic ridges on Ultra Magnus' normally stoic face perk. He coughs back his chuckle and then asks, "Just those colors?"  
"Ummm," he flips through his Ipad's file, "Ah, looks like smaller quantities of royal blue, black and white as well."  
"Umm," Magnus hums as if pondering a great mystery.  
"What does it all mean?" Fowler looks up from his pad.  
"I have no idea!" Magnus swiftly turns away and back to his computer although mentally he is smiling a bit as well. Sounds like the Decepticons are reuniting with their femme's as well. This could actually be a good turn in the war.  
Fowler swears at the General. "HEY! I know cover up when I see it. Hello, what have I been doing all this time with your race but cover up your activities from the rest of the humans on this planet? Now I deserve some answers!"  
The computer pings and Magnus touches the comm.-line, "Wheeljack. I need your assistance in the control room. Looks like we have another signal."  
"I'm busy!" Wheeljack tries to snap back. Mated or not, Ultra Magnus still gets under his armor sometimes.  
Magnus tries again with his coded tone, "You really need to see this. It has your name written all over it."  
"Pftz, yeah right." Wheeljack dismissed him again.  
"Perceptor," the General slyly slips out.  
The line closes instantly and Ultra Magnus starts counting the seconds with his unfolding fingers. A bright smile comes over his face as the Lancia is heard tearing onto the base. The white Wrecker nudges the taller officer out of the way as he unfolds and then flicks a hand up, "Geeze, don't just stand there! Get Ratchet! He needs to know the trine is coming back together again!"  
Ultra Magnus gives Wheeljack a rare gift: his laughter. Wheeljack cants his helm with his own sour-bemused look, "Oh shut up." The explosives expert can't believe Ultra Magnus set him up like that. In return, Wheeljack gives Ultra Magnus a rare gift in return: respect. "Sir, would you be so kind as to inform Ratchet that his best friend is only a few planets away."  
With a tip to his helm, Magnus taps a piece of the message. Wheeljack's jaw drops. "Oh dear Primus! Elita and Firestar are going to go nuts."  
Magnus smirks again and brings a finger to his lips as if to keep this a secret. Wheeljack's optics go wide and smirks shaking his head. "You are going to be slag when she finds out."  
"I'll take my chances with that," he flicks back over his shoulder as he heads down the hall, "Get us ready."  
Wheeljack's spark is already prepared to launch in excitement to seeing his science friend and swiftly tips two finger off his helm, "Yes SIR!"  
"Preceptor? What's going on, Wheeljack?" Fowler asks and then shouts down the hall noticing the General has purposefully avoided his previous conversation as well. "We AREN'T done, Ultra Magnus!" The great mech keeps walking although his smirk broadens.  
But Wheeljack is too engrossed in this message that he tunes out the human's rant. "Hum, whaa… oooo, heheh." Fowler is about to walk out of the base when he sees something that baffles him:  
Ratchet races down the hall and nearly slams into Wheeljack trying to see the transmitted message. He laughs with Wheeljack about the secret part of the message and then swiftly closes the message with the sound of femme voices coming their way. The two engineering mechs share a secret smile making the femmes wary.  
Wheeljack thumbs to the pinging mark on a map of the solar system, "Ironhide and I are going to pick up Perceptor. Looks like the team is really coming back together. With that genius of a sniper, we just might have turned the tides of this war."  
Optimus and Ultra Magnus come down the hall sharing their own secret smile with sweet looks towards Elita and her team. She scowls at them. They are up to something and although she should be mad, it makes her spark flutter a bit to know they are having a good time together even if it is at her expense. "That's alright, you two play your little game. Me and the femme's will get you back. Just you wait."  
Fowler has to laugh behind his hand; some things just never change no matter the species.  
Optimus takes her hand and tries to kiss her tips in an innocent distracting way. "Elita…,"  
"Nah-ha, don't even 'Elita' me, Prime. I know where you sleep at night," she gives it right back.  
Magnus sniggers, but Firestar is sneaky in pinching him right in a crease of his aft area that makes him leap. Ironhide is not let off much easier by Chromia putting a pinch and a glare in a frontal sensitive area. Springer is still stuck in the hallway though with a pink and blue femme fused to his lips. After a couple moments, he gives up and lifts her taking her back down to her quarters to finish what she just started.  
Wheeljack shakes his head to the couples while making careful notes of coordinates and conditions to their destination, "And that would be a reason why I am not bound to another. Such distractions with all that touchy feely stuff and attitude to screw up my day. No thank you."  
The bonded couples just stare at him until he can feel the heat of all those optics on him, "What?!" He just barely winces before Ratchet punches at the screen to hurry up.

~~~  
The racing trip out to Mercury is full of excitement and anxiety. Ultra Magnus has given Wheeljack use of his ship seeing how Sledgehammer has more room than Jackhammer. Ironhide and Ratchet are just as excited to catch up with Perceptor as the pilot. In return, Magnus has promised to stand guard over the base protecting the mates until their return.  
Sledgehammer circles Mercury just to give it an intense scan for any traps or Decepticon activity. Finding none, the ship comes into the furnace-like atmosphere and lands as close as possible to the melting remains of Drift's ship 'Speck'. Ironhide, Wheeljack and Ratchet run through the blazing heat and bang on the warped door. Wheeljack and Ratchet are the ones to call out a phrase that means something only to the red genius inside.  
It takes quite a bit of tugging on both sides of the hatch to get it opened, and then closed back up. The two white mechs beam and yank the red one into their grasp before pulling him back so they can get a good look at him. Perceptor waves off both of their concerns swiftly.  
"Please, it's not me you need to worry about. Ratchet, please…come." He pulls the medic over to the sea foam green femme crouched in the center of the sweltering ship.  
Ratchet crouches down before her. "Moonracer? Let me look at you."  
Moonracer opens her arms, "Not me, Ratchet, our daughter."  
Both Wheeljack and Ratchet's jaws drop to the little black and green bundle in her arms. That helm design looks just like… they both look up to Perceptor. Perceptor shoves that all aside and pushes his concern back to the little one, "Please, Ratchet, what's wrong with her?"  
Ratchet takes the little thing and strokes over her lethargic face. "Hey there little one, let old Uncle Ratchet look at you." He tries to scan her but the readings are jumping all over the place. Swiping at his perspiring brow he, shakes his head. "Look, let's get you three out of here and we can do this enroot back to Earth, alright?"  
Moonracer bites her lip, "Um, it's not just us."  
A dark green and white femme steps out of the cargo hold, "Hello Wheeljack."  
"Greenlight…," his spark falls. He thought she was dead. Hell, recently everyone has thought everyone else were dead!  
She flushes seeing him stunned. A sheepish smile comes out over his normally cocky mug, "Hey there, Greenie."  
Ironhide brings everyone around when there is another pop of buckling metal. "Look, grab whatever you need, this thing is imploding fast. Where is Drift?" Preceptor sadly shakes his head. Ironhide lays a hand on the scientist's shoulder, "I'm sorry, but we have to move. NOW!"  
Moonracer shoves over all the reflective and thermal blankets she can find in order to protect her little one from the ravages of the outside elements. Perceptor wraps an arm around her shoulder and tugs them towards the door grabbing a trio of swords off the wall. Ironhide, Wheeljack and Perceptor kick the door out. Ironhide uses the rest of his body to hunch over and shield the bundle in Ratchet's arms while Perceptor and Moonracer follow close behind. Once they are secured inside, the elevator is dropped back down and Wheeljack helps Greenlight with the few crates of supplies and data pads that can be salvaged.  
Once on board, Wheeljack is swift to active the flight controls. Ironhide leans in, "Give her over to me, I'll blow the ship. You go be with your brother." Sadly, they both have to agree. The red mech motions for Greenlight to make sure Wheeljack and heads to the rear to help Ratchet. He figures the least he can do is send a close friend to stand at a fellow bondmech's side as his sparkling is being examined.  
Greenlight slips her hand into Wheeljack's seeing how he is chewing on his lip for Perceptor and Moonracer. He gives her a weak smile of gratitude for staying with him and a kick to himself for the earlier comment about bondmates.

He had known her back during the science academy days. They used to be lab partners in fact. Part of where he learned some of his best explosions was with her. She was his first interfacing partner in the lab when they were supposed to be cleaning it up as detention. He never forgot his first love. Gosh did he have it bad for her. Even now, his cheeks are flaming hot with just her hand entwined with his own.  
"Hey, Wheeljack…." He turns to face her and she leans in, "I've missed you real bad."  
That's all he needed to hear. She hasn't let time and war stop her own first-love for him. If anything, it's not first love, it's only love. He pulls her close and wraps his arms around her tightly to whisper into her audio, "When we get back to Jackhammer, I would like to give you something that I should have a long time ago."  
She rolls her cheek against his chest and looks up as he continues, "I should have come on that mission to find Elita with Optimus. I'm kicking myself for that! I could have… given it to you then."  
"Wheeljack?" She can't imagine what he is talking about. Pulling one hand from her back, he sides it down her arm to catch her hand and slip it under his asbargo. She blinks understanding his gift is his spark. "Y-you're sure?"  
He jerks his helm back toward his brethren geniuses, "Look, if those two are sneaky enough to have and hidden mates, then it leaves me as the idiot to be too afraid to even try."  
Greenie looks from concerned Perceptor to wonderful Ratchet doing his duty. Likewise both Perceptor and Moonracer are doing theirs by listening and asking detailed questions as their infant is examined.  
"I think I need to think about it a little, but Wheeljack…I never stopped loving you and I don't blame you for anything." Her hand soothes over his spark chamber. She didn't say no, but she's not jumping for joy either.  
He turns back to her, stilling her hand over his chest, "Shh, it's alright. I know, a lot has gone one since the first time we met, but there's a lot that has been going on back at our base as well."  
The green femme begs him to continue but he shakes his head lightly, "Later, right now, let's look at our little niece."  
As they crouch down in front of the berth beside Ratchet, he is giving the parents the final news. Moonracer leans into her mate's comfort and he is sighing in great relief hearing these words, "I think she's going to be fine. I want to run a more detail test when I get back to base with better equipment, but right now, it looks like heat stroke and a bit of malnutrition. I know, your supplies were worse than limited, but it should be fine. There's a little bit here on Sledgehammer that should help. Hold her for now."  
Ratchet pats Wheeljack's shoulder to reassure him too that he's not blowing smoke but stating the truth. Then he gives a warm smile to his engineer friend's former lover. "Hello Greenlight, good to have you back among the femme division again."  
"Division?" Both femmes ask at the same time. Ratchet just chuckles and wanders over to get what he needs for the sparkling. "What's he talking about?"  
Wheeljack smiles, "Oh I hate to spoil surprises. Now you two, spill the bolts. How long have you two been mated and when did she come along?"  
Moonracer takes the modified bottle Ratchet gives her and the little one tries to suck it all down at once making her job a bit harder. That leaves Perceptor to answer the question.  
"Not long after you took off Wheeljack. Drift, Moonracer, and I were to cover the retreat of another team. Needless to say our position got over run and we had to run for our lives."  
Moonracer shakes her head to all the details being left out and presses a hand to his lips making the other two nerds laugh lightly. "I got shot in the aft. Drift was piloting that left Percy here to see to my injuries. What can I say?"  
Perceptor takes her hand away although he is flushing badly, "That's not the case at all!"  
Greenlight thumbs to Moonracer, "Powerglide was an aft. Mooney could do better, we all knew that!" Everyone nods and the sea foam sniper adjusts the proof of her love for the red sniper in her arms. Yeah Powerglide might have been a mistake, but luckily she didn't give him her spark. She shoves that jab aside by coming back to the current mech in her life.  
"Still, Percy got a good look at my aft and-" She looks up to him but he looks away flaming bad. So she goes cheeky and continues, "I told him I thought I had something stuck in my chest plate."  
Now the whistles come out to her sneaky ways. Perceptor huffs and stands up to get away from the teasing and interrogation. Moonracer can see he is hurt and pouts quickly. The other two mechs know their third well enough. Ratchet thumbs Moonracer towards the cargo bay to ease the damage she has done. Carefully she slips the now dozing infant into Greenie's arms and makes her way over to her sulking mate.  
With a tug to his elbow, takes him into the small cargo room. As soon at the door is shut, she is surprised to find herself pinned by the taller yet lithe and skilled hands. "Do you really want me to tell them how it REALLY happened? Do you really want me to tell them how you compromised our position by grabbing my hand and pleasuring yourself? Do you really want me to tell them how you begged and squirmed your way-"  
He crushes his mouth hard over hers making her moan into it. He grabs her hand this time and slides it between their bodies so she can feel how hot both of them are. The pent up tension between them is aching and agonizing. Both are brutally hard in their clasps with mouth, teeth and hands. Now that they have been saved and their daughter will live, the floodgates of his reserve has been blown to smithereens. All his emotions are cascading upon her and she is finding it erotic and wonderful that he is letting it all out finally.

His best friend Drift died helping them escape. Threw himself over carrying-Moonracer so Perceptor could make precision shots as hellfire rained down on them all. The acid shots bore through his white armor and straight into his spinal column swiftly poisoning him. The great mech bit down hard in his agony, but Moonracer heard it all and his dying breath.  
By the time Perceptor had enough of the enemy at bay so they could continue, Drift was death-grey. No time to mourn, he grabbed the swords and shoved his dead partner off to drag his mate away. Silently they made a run for the shuttle Greenlight was keeping hidden and warmed as the next wave came after them. Moonracer took the swords tossed at her and Perceptor took over the controls coldly as the shuttle was pelted with more acid shots.  
He never spoke of his feelings of Drift's death. Today with Ratchet was the first sign of his concern over the health of his daughter. Right now is his first sign of concern over his mate and the agony he endured watching her birth the little surprise during their futile attempt to join any fraction of their faction. He has stayed nothing but firm and strong for them all and NOW Moonracer is going to tease him among his brothers?

No. He's going to make it perfectly clear he was not tricked or shy in his attention to her presentation. He knew damn well he wanted her all along. He knew damn well he could make her happy in spark, soul, and body even before she hooked up with that idiot flyer. Right now, he is going to make her scream again and make it clear to everyone else just how 'cute' he really is.  
Yanking his mouth away from hers, he bites hard into her neck. "Shit!" she snaps out loudly and he slides her own hand against herself under the armor. He smiles and bites again when she whines then presses a bit lower making her cry out again.

Moonracer always knew Perceptor to be a passionate mech. It's clear by the way he dives into his studies. The time and effort he puts into keeping his rifle clean and perfect and his skills honed. His stance on why he became a sniper in of its self is the definition of passion. So when Drift egged her to let Percy know how she really felt, she just had to be a bit too cheeky and paid for it. Yes, there was the moment he saw her aft, and then her chest, but it was the next day when all the restraints came to a shattering end.

Perceptor licks and nibbles into her, peeling away her armor in the small room to remind her of that night under a moonless sky. That's right, he's going to strip her bare but not himself. With a knee pressed to the wall, he has her straddle his thigh and continue his work. "Cute? That's not what you said that night!"  
Moonracer is squirming again and even lets off a scream as he has her touch just the right area. His other hand grabs her other one as well and has her releasing only one piece of his armor. He didn't intend, but he too lets off a long moan.  
They haven't interfaced since before the death of Drift. That tiny shuttle with Greenlight on board hasn't left any privacy. On top of that, their daughter's health certainly quashed any physical needs. Right now with all those other bots, a larger ship and their daughter in safe hands, the two need to reunite.  
"Percy PLEASE!" Moony cries out.  
"Please what?" It was supposed to come out analytical but there's too much husk to his voice as she grabs him a bit more harshly again. This time he grunts and brings himself closer to finish the joining.

That night, that seems so long ago, she snuck up on his position and nibbled into his nape making his hand shake. Just to be a further tease, she licked each side of his neck bringing an erotic shiver to his spine. He didn't ask what she was up to, he just held his position. He watched as she took his free hand and brought it to her lips and clenched his jaw tight when she more than kissed it. Whispering his nick name, she began to suckle his fingers. Still he flicked his optics back and forth between her and his sentry post.  
He said nothing, just watching. So she began to remove bits of her armor and take his hand to pan and explore over her body. He more than liked it. Moonracer is no harlot. The only other mech she had been with was a loser and he more than once wanted to shoot the bastard himself! So to find her giving herself to him, here? Damn. Hot damn!  
Gripping the side of her naked hip to still it's strokes, he takes an extended examination of the area. No one in sight, he turns his attentions back to her with both hands. He will not say if he has had a femme before or not, but even he knows all femmes are different. He lets Moonracer glide his hands where she needs them most, and then, takes over from there with lips, tongue and anything else within his quiver of desire.  
Just like right now in the closet, she moans, cries out his name, pleads for more grinding and writhing against his skilled moves. And just like that night high atop a building, he crests her more than once before sheathing himself and bringing her spark out to play with his own. From there, the dual merging and flares of passion turn heads and draw attention towards the couple making a new life together.  
This time though, instead of being answered by a volley of weapons fire while still physically joined; they are left alone to cool down. Perceptor sinks to the floor keeping her impaled in his lap. He strokes his fingers down the harsh bite marks as the other trails up and down her spine, "I love you more than anything."  
"I know…I know. I know you know I need you more than anything," She snuggles against him. "Thank you for staying alive." It's her way of saying she is sorry Drift gave his life for their family. For that, he wraps his arms tightly around her and won't let go.

~~~  
When Sledgehammer comes to rest back on Earth, Ultra Magnus, Ironhide and Optimus can not contain their smiles as the elevator drops revealing Greenlight and Moonracer. The other femme's dash over and clinging to their long lost teammates. When the elevator drops again, it's Optimus who has the first tear in his optic to what Perceptor has so preciously in his arms. The femmes don't see it until Perceptor lays the precious gift into his leader's arms making Optimus choke.  
Even though his own mate is expecting his first sparkling, here in his arms is a sign of new hope of all Transformers. Ultra Magnus pats the father warmly on the shoulder in awe of what is to come for himself. Ironhide just silently gapes to the little one and reaches out to clutch his own love closer. Moonracer slips her arms around her wonderful mate and snuggles into him much to the surprise of her division.  
The sound of a helicopter coming in has Optimus shielding the little one with his hunched form. The time has come, there's no hiding it any longer with the children piling out and asking in their jumble of questions to what he holds.  
Optimus kneels down and shows them the tiny gift of life. "The first of our future."  
Fowler blinks and looks up to Ultra Magnus. The blue mech's voice is heavy with reverence, "This is the answer to your question." That makes William Fowler's shoulders relax completely.  
The tide of the war certainly has turned.


	5. West

Winds of Change: West  
Blitzwing :heart: Black Arachnia  
JetfireWeasley5 is to be thanked for introducing me to this pairing! You must read Freakshow.

* * *

From his crashed and mangled position among the trees, the sight of a slim-lined black helicopter shooting through the trees was like an angel. A godsend. A precious hope. Then he saw it land in the form of a deadly techno-arachnid. Correction: femme techno-arachnid triple changer!  
He knew that techno-organics was possible, he's just never actually seen one, but here is one right now. Long spindly legs on the search for something.  
So enamored by watching her beauty and hunting skills, he completely forgot she was hunting for HIM. Well at least his beacon signal stuck between two trees a hundred or so feet above her. He remembered when she strays out of his sight making him curse. The delicate sound of her light footsteps stilling lets him know she heard him.  
Part of him is so excited that she might notice him. Part of him is terrified that she will kill him. Part of him is a afraid she will leave him strung up for the Autobots or worse to rust away in shame and humiliation up here alone.  
She returns to his line of sight and does another search. To aid her, he gives a respectful, "A-hem," drawing her attention up.  
His spark stills seeing her slightly transform again to a bi-pedal mode tucking two sets of legs against her back. "Ah, hello," he tries to sound respectful and not a drooling idiot that many take him for.  
Blitzwing is in complete control of his three-part personalities. He lets everyone believe he is a crazy schizophrenic in order to hold the upper hand on Decepticon, Neutral or Autobot alike. There are only two who know he is fully sane and the rest of this is just a ploy. Otherwise, Hook never would have cleared him for duty and Megatron never would have let the insane unpredictable mech stay within his ranks.  
He smiles broader, the femme blinks her large oval ruby optics. "What are you doing up there?" She asks carefully gauging the situation.  
"Well…," he can't even scratch his helm in a cute fashion with his arms stuck so he is left with just blushing. "It's complicated."  
Four of her arms cross over her clearly femme chest. She knows he needs her help or else he never would have given his position away, but also she's not THAT patient and thus taps her foot looking at exactly how stuck he is.  
The tank tracks have him caught on two branches vertically. The wings are tangled caught horizontally with his arms in a painful one-third transformation predicament. With another facial squinch and attempted wiggle he tires to get to the point. "See there was this pesky Wrecker that I was following through an asteroid belt and well things went a little sideways." He notices her foot stops tapping with his honesty, thus he continues.  
"So apparently these asteroids don't like certain explosions and they took it out on my little ship and my escape pod…. It didn't like it any better. So here I am caught between a high and a low place and no where to go."  
With his most charming smile he tries sheepishly, "Would you be so kind as to help a mech out?" Her ruby jewels instantly go bright wide, and he curses again snapping his optics shut tight.  
It's not the first time a mech has tried that line with her, but when he sputters and tries over and over again to cover his tracks and take it all back, she can't help but feel a little bad for the mech. He meant it innocently enough and now trying to get himself out of it is making his predicament worse.  
Her giggle to his struggle stops instantly when a loud snap is heard. "Oh *snap* sh- AHHHH!" and a few more snaps to follow as the heavy weight falls through the smaller botanical limbs.  
The purple and black mech falls from the trees sure that his already tangled body is going to be a further wreck by the time he meets the unforgiving ground. There isn't enough distance to transform into anything and therefore his fate is sealed.  
Boing.  
Boing? His brain asks finding himself staring at a startled brown long eared fuzzy thing face to face even though he has not impacted with the ground.  
"Will that do?" She crouches down and twitters her fingers into the fur of the stun scared little thing before it scampers off.  
"Uh-huh. Thanks?" He sighs with complete relief to not being crumpled. Gathering his wits, he takes in the fact that he is stuck in some kind of web. So that's how she saved him. Carefully he sits up and looks to the stick substance that she is now cutting free of him and the trees. "This is interesting. You created this?"  
She snorts, "Not by choice."  
With a thud he finds himself on the ground and takes a moment to get himself into a bi-pede mode. With a shiver and a shake, limbs, leaves and whatever else was stuck loosely in his armor is now on the ground at his pedes.  
By the time he is together, she has the ball wadded up and incinerates it. His optics light up to the flame but says nothing. She gives a deep sigh and turns back to him arms crossed over her chest again.  
He sticks his hand out, "I'm terribly sorry, the name is Blitzwing."  
"Black Arachnia," she accepts his hand.  
He warms and is tempted to put a little bit more charm but her optics dare him to and she will hurt him. Wisely he just gives her a light shake and then releases. "So, um, seen any Decepticons recently?"  
Her helm shakes to the daft question and flips to her helicopter mode, "Follow me, fly boy." In a shake he is after her and joining her to the flight deck of Nemesis.  
Flipping back to their bi-pede modes he gives a whistle, "Damn this is a sight for sore optics!"  
She shakes her head once more and leads the way to the bridge. "Lord Megatron, I have found you another soldier."  
Megatron smiles broadly, "Well done, Black Arachnia! Blitzwing, good to have you back."  
Blitzwing is respectful to his leader with a bow and tone, but as soon as he sees Starscream, he gives him the arrogance. "Humph, thought we would have at least released some dead weight around here."  
Megatron raises one finger in warning before Starscream can launch at the new arrival. "Blitzwing, you know better. Arachnia, show him to some quarters." She's about to snarl her reply but Megatron is the one to make the warning glare this time.  
With a stomp she leads the daft mech to a set of dank and abandoned quarters. "There. Happy?"  
He nods and gives her a soft respectful reply, "Black Arachnia, once again, thank you. I was a little worried I would rust out there alone. I was afraid I would go stir crazy."  
"Well, all for the Decepticons, right?" She shrugs and leaves. He watches her leave and she feels his tender optics on her back until she rounds the corner. Damn!

~~  
Over the next few weeks, she sees a whole different mech than she saw in the forest. She sees a hot headed mean one towards Starscream. She sees a stone cold near-silent one with Knockout. Then with the Autobots and humans, a bat-shit crazy berserker tearing up their attacks and sending them screaming in fear never knowing what is coming after them.  
The curious thing is that when it's just him or just he and Megatron, or herself she sees the mech she met in the forest. Completely calm, levelheaded, smart and most of all, a gentlemech. It has her very confused and even at times, worried. Maybe he is crazy. Maybe she should have left him strung up in the tree to rust and die.  
Its just that when he is around her, he treats her with the utmost respect and dignity that an elite femme or a loyal soldier deserves. That is the mech that intrigues her. Knockout and some of the others are treating her like a freak and it hurts… just like they treat him.

One night in the rec-room after a particular harsh volley of insults and name calling, Knockout is thrown from the room by the raging 'crazy mech'. The sports car dashes down the halls and away for fear of his finish getting injured further.  
Arachnia sees that no one else is in the room when Blitzwing throws a table against the wall and roars at the ceiling with enraged fists making her audios ring in pain. She's about to leave him alone when his arms slump to his side and he is left panting, "Please don't leave."  
"Why should I stay?" Her arms are wrapped herself in a rare show of fear.  
He pants again and shakes his head, "You have a point." With his head still down, he heads for the door to push past her.  
There she sees the shy stuck mech she first met. Only this time he isn't stuck in a tree, he's stuck in a far worse hell all alone. One hand comes loose and presses softly to his chest center stopping his retreat. "I didn't say I was leaving, I just asked why I should stay."  
He's afraid to touch her seeing how he hasn't been able to get her off his mind since his arrival on Earth. What made him show her his true colors from the very beginning he will never know, but right now he's not sorry he did. The one person he can confide in and he has no idea what to say or do. "I'm not good company right now."  
A bit more boldly she steps before him blocking his retreat further, "And when am I ever good company?" He gives a slight huff and smirk to everyone calling her a wicked-bitch.  
"Blitz, are you on duty right now?" He shakes his head and she gives him a soft smile before touching her comm. "Soundwave, Blitzwing and I are going on a scouting mission." An approval ping comes back and Black Arachnia gives him no choice but to follow him to the flight deck.  
Stepping all the way to the edge, he watches her make a graceful dive off the edge to flip to her helicopter mode. They say nothing, but just enjoy the feel of freedom's flight against the dusky night's sky. On and on they fly until they find an Energon deposit against a geo-thermal vent. To their delight, it's liquefied! He drops down and pulls a bit of his gauntlet off. Rinsing it off in the stream a few steps over, he dips the gauntlet into the pool and gives it a taste, "Ohh, this is good."  
He scoops up another dose and gives it to her. With a respectful sip she hums into it as well and settles down tucking her legs ever so lady like to finish her portion. They take turns sipping from the pure pool.  
"Careful, we don't want to over do it, they might talk," she gives him a smirk.  
He chuckles too setting the grieve to the side in case they want more. With a deep sigh, he reclines against the cliff wall and looks up to the stars, "Thank you…. Again."  
Now it's her turn to laugh making herself comfortable beside him against the wall. From this position they can watch the large night flying creatures move silently in their hunt. Blitzwing takes a chance and slips his hand over hers bringing it to his lap.  
She finds it curious that all he does is soothe and caress her hand. He's not making lude moves with her hand or his. He's just so different than any mech she has ever met. Here he is exploring her hand as if exploring a relationship. He's just so different while alone with her.  
"Blitz, are you really crazy?"  
"I was. It took a lot to get myself back together. By the time I did, everyone already knew me as a cracked pot not to be taken seriously or lightly."  
"Why don't you set them straight?" She gives his hand a supportive squeeze.  
With a soft turn of his helm he gives her a warm smile, "Why don't you let others know how sweet and kind you can be?"  
She looks up to him and bites her lip with a cute fang hanging out. "They don't deserve to know."  
His shoulders slump and watches her carefully. The spark in his chest races in fear but his brain tells him to try so his shaking hand lifts to cup her cheek, "No, they don't." With a another stroke he whispers, "Thank you once again."  
Her cheek nuzzles into his soft hand, "Careful, mech, I eat sparks for breakfast."  
He leans over and smiles sweetly, "It's alright, I have two more where that one came from." She can't help but giggle to him teasing himself. Her lips are still laughing as she lifts up to his own laughing ones.  
Both will have to admit, a laughing first-kiss is a first for them both. It only makes them laugh a little harder knowing that neither will be able to give a real kiss right now. Instead they press foreheads together and shine laughing optics at each other.  
"Careful there femme, I could fall for you," he is trying to be warm and serious.  
Her chest sniggers and then she bursts out laughing, "Yeah, about a hundred feet."  
"Oh damn!" he busts out laughing too. He completely forgot about falling out of the tree at her pedes. It's too much for him and they find themselves leaning on each other heavily.  
Sweet laughter together is something they are not used to being around. Being made fun of and receiving the end of others cruel jokes, oh yes, but this sweet tenderness together is a rarity.  
With the giggling and chuckling dying down he strokes her cheek again. "'Nia, may I kiss and court you?"  
Her spark swells to his ever so sweet respect. The icing on the cake is his choice of moniker for her. "I think I'd like that, Blitz."  
This time the kiss works like it should. Light lips pluck and explore each other before sealing and pressing more securely. Both of them know there will be no further advancement of their physical relationship tonight. No, tonight is perfect just with gentle kisses and warm laughter.

~~  
Over the next few weeks, they secretly court. She remains her aloof and bitchy self to others. He remains the off-kilter no one can understand why Megatron has among their ranks. One thing that everyone will agree on, with Black Arachnia and Blitzwing on the battlefield, no one else stands a chance. On top of that, they are a deadly precision team. More than enough they have the humans out of their way as they extract the stolen goods needed to further their cause.  
Side by side the two walk arrogantly and confidently along the flight deck. Megatron mentally beams when they bow to him in sync upon arrival. An unlikely pair? Maybe, maybe not, he watches them walk side by side to the rec-room to receive their ration of Energon.

~~~  
Down in the cargo bay set aside for her, Blitzwing locks the door behind himself. There is his 'Nia stretched out on her berth but not asleep. Somewhere she has found candles and has the berth area lit up romantically for both of them. As he sits on the edge of the berth, her hands slide up his chest, over the shoulders and stroke two fingers down his wing tips.  
In return, he leans in wrapping an arm around her waist the other hand has a single finger playing around her chest center. "'Nia, I don't want a fling. I want forever starting now."  
Softly she nods into the topic that has been coming up more and more frequent lately. She has to admit, she's done playing around as well. She wants this illusive sparkmate that romantic stories hinge on. "I just don't know if it will work with me." They both know she is talking of her organic half bonding to his pure Cybertronian side.  
"Let me find that out," he presses his thumb a little harder begging her to release her spark to him.  
Once again she bites her lip leaving a fang hanging out. To help ease her fears, he pulls his torso armor off and his helmet. He takes her hand and helps her thumb play over his spark rim until it exposes itself to her. Slowly she breathes, and then bares herself to him as well.  
Laying her back, Blitzwing is careful in pressing his life into hers. There they see the horrors that made one a bi-species and one split three ways. There they see how the other has helped heal past wounds and together they are far far stronger beings together. From there, they see how much they want a future together even going to far as to tell their leader the truth of their new relationship.  
Stroking and crooning desire, passion and promise into each other, the sparks climax and burst with abundance of their new life as One.  
The emotional side of the sparks don't want to retreat, but the physical reality is that they can not sustain outside the closed chambers for eternity. So with the closing of the chambers, femme and mech are left looking at each other with their own optics.  
"Hello, may mate," he whispers.  
She strokes over his cheek, "Hello my love."  
Neither needs to say it, for they just saw and felt it. The desire and passion for each other is more than ready to physically join. This time the kisses are not sweet or exploring. This time the kisses are hard with need and want. A fusion of body and soul. He cups her lower back as he makes his way to join them physically for the first time. She gives him a soft firm nod and a wanton-plea that even if he wanted to refuse, his body wouldn't listen.  
Her trim back rises in a glorious arch making his mech form curl over and take her as his own. She will never submit to anyone, but she will give. He will never force, but he will accept. Curling, clinging, and clutching the bodies take over where the sparks left off: making their relationship deeper and infused permanently.  
"Oh PRIMUS! 'Nia!" He pants her name out in time to the pulse of their dance.  
"Blizzzzz," she elongates his name as she crest over and he follows.  
To his surprise, she is sobbing. Black Arachnia sobbing? Worse, sobbing after bonding to him.  
"'N-nia?" His poor spark shivers and starts to pull away.  
"N-no!" all her long limbs lash out to clutch and wrap around him halting his retreat.  
"Then you have to talk to me," he soothes out cupping her damp cheek.  
"I never want to lose this feeling. I don't want to leave this room, this berth, this moment. I know I'm safe and whole here. I don't want to be afraid of losing you to anything." So much she has already lost. Too much he has already had ripped away from himself as well.  
"Shh, shh, my 'Nia, shh, just rest." Although it's her arms and legs encasing him to her body it's his soft hands holding her helm to his chest that makes her feel safest.

In the morning when neither report to their post, and everyone is afraid to check on the bitch and the berserker, Lord Megatron snorts, "Cowards the lot of you!" He stomps down the hall of his own ship and overrides the code to the spider's den.  
There he finds a sight that warms even his dark spark. He's not really cold, just more driven that emotional. He has soft emotions, it's just he doesn't let those be the ones to drive him (unlike the Autobots).  
Still, there he sees a very sweet sight. Blitzwing is on his side propped up fist to cheek, elbow to berth so he can look down on the dark femme in their soft conversation. A single sheet modestly covers them both. The mech's remaining hand is twining and stroking through the other one of hers above the sheet while her remaining hand takes his chin to pull is down for a sweet kiss.  
"A-hem," Megatron softly coughs but moves no closer to them.  
"My Lord?" Blitzwing is respectful to turn to face to his leader but does not pull back from his near kiss with his femme.  
That does bring a smirk to the sharp leader's cheeks. So Blitzwing will acknowledge his leader but makes it clear where his priorities lie…the one at his side. "Hum, so this is what kept you from your patrol?"  
"I was patrolling other interests?" He tries to sound cute and the spider-femme moans to the bad joke.  
Megatron shakes his helm as well and flicks a hand in the air, "Next shift, I expect you both to report to your assigned duties."  
Blitzwing nods, "Yes sir. And just so you know, I did switch my shift with Starscream."  
Once more Megatron rolls his optics and groans to being set up by his Air Commander. He heard everyone wanting to know how serious it was between these two, he just never thought they would trick him to be the one to find the answer. "Ah, yes, of course. Well, in that case, never mind. As you were. Starscream can take both shifts."  
Both faces gape, "Really?!"  
Megatron beams his smile, "Oh yes. If Starscream has me invading your privacy, than his personal time will be sacrificed as well. Carry on," and strides out of the cargo bay. As soon as the door is relocked, the Second in Command's name is bellowed through the hallways making the bonded pair laugh.  
Arachnia tugs the black chin again, "I suggest you follow Lord Megatron's orders."  
Blitzwing draws her over his body, "Mm, I do believe those orders were for you as well, my love."

~~~  
Within weeks of their bonding, 'Nia knew something was wrong but like hell was she going to go to Knockout. The arrogant and vane bastard could rust in the ocean before she would ever ask for his help. As the sickly weeks continue, even Blitzwing's concern and push will not persuade her.  
His breaking point is when she physically tosses him from their quarters leaving him more scared that angry. He has no idea how long he sat in the hallway shivering in fear for the love of his life when graceful but heavy footsteps break through his trance.  
Not one set of pedes, two. Swiftly he rises to face his Leader and his recently arrived lead scientist:  
"Shockwave," the name is breathed. Respectfully he lowers his helm to both of them. Silently he says a prayer of praise to seeing the recently returned genius who has been working on the Predacon cloning. That's right, bio-technology.  
Megatron's brow furrows seeing the bonded mech on the outside of his quarters. "Blitzwing? Is everything alright?"  
Just then, Black Arachnia lets of a horrible cry. Panic flashes over the smallest mech as he pounds his code into the keypad but nothing happens. He tries three more times before long lilac fingers carefully lift and pull his hand away by the wrist. "Allow me."  
Megatron lays a soft but firm hand to the shivering mech's shoulder holding him back while the genius hacks the system and the doors part. Once more, Megatron holds tight to the shoulder keeping him reined in as all three carefully enter.  
"Dear PRIMUS!" With Megatron temporarily stunned, Blitzwing makes his dash for his mate. Shockwave is right on his heels.  
"Fascinating." Shockwave crouches down.  
Blitzwing hisses his frustration, "No Shockwave, it isn't fascinating! Something is wrong!"  
Arachnia is writhing and wriggling in pure agony as a second sphere emerges from her body wrapped in a her web-silk like material. She stops to pant but not for long and a third emerges.  
"I should call Knockout," Megatron reaches for his comm but stops when a lashing of web sticks his wrist to the wall. "What are you DOING?!"  
The femme might be in agony and prone on the floor, but her wrath and seething is clear, "I don't want that vane and vile bastard anywhere near me!"  
"'Nia, shh, 'Nia, we don't need him. We have someone better," Blitzwing is trying to soothe Leader and Mate.  
Megatron yanks his wrist free tossing the disgusting stuff from his arm. "What do you mean, Blitzwing?"  
"This is incredible, My Liege." Shockwave has one of the silk-covered orbs in his hand ever so gently examining it.  
"Give it to me!" Arachnia lashes out for it, but can't reach it with her weak body in in Blitzwing's protective grasp and Shockwave holding the slight glowing orb up to the light.  
"What is it?" Megatron shares his scientist's curiosity.  
"I believe it's a sparkling encased in an Insecticon's egg," Shockwave is completely marveled.  
"How can that be? I thought-"  
"Life has found a way….," Blitzwing whispers and presses his lips to his panicked and blessed mate.  
Shockwave nods, "The mech is correct."  
Megatron holds the egg very carefully almost caressing it. "Life. A new race of soldiers?"  
Shockwave takes a deep sigh and nods. He's holding his private thoughts back. Blitzwing knows he needs to tread very carefully here. On one hand he does not want his offspring to be cogs in a war, but on the other hand, his leader is holding his delicate creation in a precarious situation.  
"My Lord, may we keep them?" He is ever so careful to ask.  
Megatron returns the egg to Shockwave, "What do you think, Commander?"  
Shockwave looks between the worried parents and the powerful leader. "It would be an experiment worth continuing." Blitzwing bites his tongue to the cold statement.  
Megatron gives a curt nod, "Very well. You may continue but do your best not to let this interfere with your duties." With all three agreeing, the silver mech leaves.  
Shockwave returns to the worried parents and sets the precious orb into both of their arms. "I will not let harm come to them. Life is a precious and should not be wasted."  
"I-I don't trust Knockout." She shivers.  
Shockwave drops his hand to his hip and gives her a respected touch to his words, "I know, I will see to your care personally. Blitzwing, take her to the berth, stay with her (like he really had to order?), I will return shortly with some equipment."  
The bonded mech does as ordered plus bringing the three glowing orbs between them both wrapping them all up tightly in a couple blankets. He's actually scared and lets her know it, "Hey, you got to promise me to stick around, alright? You were afraid of something happening to me, well just so you know, it goes both ways. Alright?"  
She nuzzles into him, "Yes, I know. I'll do my best."  
They both sit in silence just holding on to each other and their potential future.  
When Shockwave comes back, he kneels at their berth side but doesn't unpack his equipment. Instead he starts by looking into her optics and then a glance up to her mate. "I'm going to be honest with you. What you have done here is incredible and I would like to use what information I gather here in my research. I will not experiment ON you, but I would like to gather facts, samples, and information. You could have answers to a new hope for us."  
'Nia reaches for his lone wrist in a warriors' clasp, "Do not take me to Knockout. He has no respect for my biology and could-."  
"I promise," Shockwave returns the grasp tightly if not tighter than her own. Knockout isn't sadistic unless under orders, but nor does he have the care or time for the complex miracles of deeper science. He's a field medic, not a full doctor. Shockwave may not have the bedside manner of a doctor or traditional care for a patient, but he does have the grace and respect for the science of biology. Somewhere in between, these three will figure it all out.  
"I must keep Lord Megatron informed, but, I will respect your privacy," he does not release the wrist until they both agree. With a nod from all, he lets go and gets to work on his exam.

~~~  
After he is done, Shockwave takes his information and samples back to his off-sight lab. He looks to the tooth that he and Soundwave were able to steal away from the Autobots and Megatron had made it clear how precious Shockwave's life was to him and their cause. In the corner is Predaking sleeping soundly.  
Shockwave ponders all of this. Life. What is life? What are they fighting for? Life?  
Or a future?  
A soft breeze blows through the tiny chimney of his lab. There's change in the air and he may have it in his hands right now.


	6. North

North

Dreadwing x Elevon (OC)  
(combined aileron and elevators on airplanes)

With a tumble and bump, the deep red and yellow femme lands to the flight deck of Nemesis. She has a simple transformation that leaves the delta wing of her Avro Vulcan relaxed and hanging off her waist like a skirt: longer in the back than the front. Her thin lithe frame swishes through the main doors causing a few Eradicons to look but not stop her. She smiles to the drones letting her pass. Hum, security must have seen her and is let her sashay right on through. Looks like her mate still holds power around here!  
Up a head she sees a silhouette she would know anywhere. On top of that, her spark is pinging for it as well. "Sky! I've been chasing your hide halfway across the universe and you don't even have the decency to meet me at the flight deck?! "  
The bulking flying mech before her stalls but done not turn. Absent mindedly, his hand comes to his cockpit. No, it can't be.  
Those femme stilettos tap more aggressively down the dark corridor as she comes closer to him. "Skyquake how DARE you-" she clamps a hand to his arm to jerk him around. Not that she really had the strength to turn the heavier weight by her lone hand, but if it had been who she expected he would have turned because of her touch alone.  
But it wasn't him and only the helm turns ever so slowly. In turning, looking down on her she sees a completely grief-shocked expression with the slowest of negative head shakes. With her being stunned to see optics of grief and not sweet adoration for her, he softly lays a hand to hers still on his arm and steps into the light. There she sees fully who it is.  
"Dreadwing…," she gapes. If he bears that expression than it could only mean that her beloved is … "Where is he?"  
Once more Dreadwing grips her hand tighter and shakes his head softly, "El, I'm sorry."  
Her other fists pounds at her chest, "But I can feel-"  
His head shakes, "It's our split-spark you feel. Its me you feel. Close your optics, feel again… he's missing."  
Her chin wobbles but shakes her head again, "Dread, it's the distance, right? It's just because there's so much distance between us, right? Can't you feel that?!"  
This time he cups her helm and tries to pull it to him but she yanks away from him completely. With a nasty snarl she poke a finger in his direction, "You never wanted him to bond!" With a crack of her fist against his cockpit glass, she lashes out, "NO! You never wanted him to bond to ME!"  
Before she can pull away again, he grabs her wrist and snaps back, "That's not true!" With a swift kick, she gets him right in the ankle joint making him hiss out a cuss but he doesn't let her go. "Elevon! Stop it! He's gone. You must accept that fact."  
Two more sharp shakes of her helm and she twists her hand out of his grip. "NO! I demand to see Lord Megatron."  
Thundering pede steps and lighter ones just behind them bring Dreadwing's stance to military attention. "You have him. Now what do you want, soldier?"  
Femme or mech he does not care. A soldier is all he sees right now. Although he is pleased to see another soldier, he does not like what he just heard.  
She snaps to and salutes. "Sir, I was looking for Lieutenant Skyquake of your Aerial Assault Division."  
Megatron gives a curt nod, "I have not forgotten him, Elevon. My soldiers might be lost, misplaced or even dead, but the loyal ones I do not forget." He looks over to Dreadwing who lowers his optics in gratitude to his Leader's respect for his family's honorable service.  
Once more she asks, but this time more softly. "My Liege, I have just arrived. I still have a ship in outer orbit. I was hoping to reunite with my mate before being of your assistance."  
Megatron steps aside and looks to Starscream, "Commander Starscream would you like to tell her of the fate of her mate and our Lieutenant?"  
Starscream knows the wrath of a widow or widower. He knows that a severed bond can drive some to insanity. More so, he knows the power of a brother's fist. "The Autobots killed him with an act of trickery."  
Elevon shakes her head but then looks to Dreadwing who is begging her to accept the information from another source and not make this any harder. Finally she looks back up to Megatron and he too gives her a rare soft look asking her to accept the fact so that all can move on.  
She looks away from them all and down at her pedes. "Why do I still feel something?"  
Dreadwing is very soft, "Like I said, it's me."  
Starscream sputters, "You and Skyquake shared a mate? Ewww!"  
Megatron groans gripping his forehead, "For a scientist, you are an idiot sometimes, Starscream. No, they didn't share a mate, they shared a SPARK, their resonance is the same. Her spark feels half of the resonance that he and Dreadwing both fluxgated on."  
"Oh, I knew that," he tries to quickly cover up.  
Once more, Megatron shakes his head. "Dreadwing, find her some quarters, Energon and get her on a duty roster."  
Dreadwing scoffs, "I am not my brother's keeper."  
With a long claw tip, Megatron inches Dreadwing down the hall a bit for a private conversation with quite words. "No, you are not, but with the devotion you had for your brother, do you really want some of these other mechs knowing she is available? It would be within your sanity to make sure others understand she is not to be trifled with. I know how deadly she can be when angered and some mech making a move on her right now could decrease our ranks and cause me to execute another. Do I make myself clear?"  
Dreadwing nods carefully. Lord Megatron really does know how honorable and devoted the two brothers were. With a soft tone himself he replies, "I just didn't want you to think I would put Skyquake's mate over you."  
Megatron gives his loyal soldier a soft pat to the shoulder guard, "I know where your honor lies with me. Go, it will be fine." Then with a soft laugh he mutters, "I know that you would not be at your fullest function with me until you did have your brother's mate secured."  
Dreadwing's poor face has to smile sheepishly to his Leader knowing him better than he had given him credit for. "Yes, My Lord."  
With a final clap to the shoulder, Megatron turns to Starscream, "Have you anything else to say?"  
With a paw to his chest and a bowed helm as not to look her directly in the optic for the secret he holds about Skyquake's demise, he is respectful, "As good as it is to have you back, my condolences."  
With that, Megatron takes Starscream away.

Dreadwing motions down the hall and to an elevator. All this while she says nothing. It's very hard for her head to accept the facts all three are saying while her spark keeps telling her it's just not possible and there's hope.  
"El?" Dreadwing breaks through her thoughts to motion the lift has stopped. She steps out and following him down the corridor to a door he opens. "These are the quarters Sky used which then became mine. I have another place I can stay, take these."  
Knockout and a couple Vehicons stare at Dreadwing leading a gorgeous femme into his private quarters. Dread gives them a icy warning and gets El moving inside. Once the door is closed, she sees the room is neat and tidy. Dread always was a bit more organized than Sky. Sometimes it's hard to believe they are brothers of the same spark, more like opposites. Still, it means a lot for Dread to give her these accommodations. It's a sure sign of trust and proof that he does care.  
"There's a wash rack in here, and fresh linens there." He motions to two doors against a wall. He points to a fresh cube on his desk, "I have a briefing I must attend therefore these are all yours. I'll get another cube on the way and be back in a few orns with assignments for you. Anything else you need?"  
"Sky?" She gives him a sad quirked grin.  
He takes a deep breath and wraps his arms around her hugging her snuggly to his chest. There she can feel arms so much like her beloved Sky but yet with a different intensity to the hold. There she can feel the same pulse rate and harmony signature, but the scent is different. A voice that is close but not her lover muffles into her helm top. "I'm so glad you are alive. I know that a piece of his spark lives on."  
Her hand soothes over his cockpit making the same support within his own chest. He pulls back but doesn't release her. Instead he grips her chin with just two careful fingers. "I never hated you. I was extremely happy he found love and someone he cared enough about to give his spark to. I felt that elation. My concern had been for you both about just this moment. I think though, you will be fine with us giving you enough to do keeping your mind busy." Now he does step back towards the door. "I'll be back later to check on you."  
With a deep breath (trying to keep it from shaking) she presses back her strength, "I'm not weak. I don't need coddling."  
Dread knows that warrior's pride. Sure Sky let his walls down for his brother and Dread is not surprised that El and Sky would do that with each other, after all that is what mates are for. With a slump of his shoulders, he can see she's going to hide behind her warrior's wall. Part of him is proud that she will not be weak and cave, but part of him knows that wall is weak. After all, his was when it came to Sky.  
With a touch to the controls, Commander Dreadwing steps out of the quarters and lets them close up behind him. That's when he hears the soft whimpering behind the door. She doesn't throw things like he does, she implodes. With a heavy spark, he pulls his back up strong and strides towards the command deck even though is spark is tearing again.

There at the table, he sees Shockwave, Soundwave and Megatron waiting for him. Starscream isn't there yet thus Megatron can spare a soft questioning look to Dreadwing. Instead of answering his Leader, Dreadwing turns to the Communications officer and Chief Scientist. "We have a new flying scout at our disposal. It would be best to get her acclimated swiftly. I believe science would be better for her than battle." With a few taps of the table, he pulls up a personal file and flicks the touch-screen file to slide between the purple and blue officers.  
Silently Shockwave and Soundwave make notes and then fling the file back. Dreadwing downloads the schedule and instructions to a data pad. He will takes these back to Elevon after this briefing and a reasonable amount of down time. Seeing what they have planned, Dreadwing makes sure to change his own duty assignments so that El and he will not cross paths. Megatron frowns to that. He knows that Dreadwing is hiding.  
Megatron may be a dictator. Megatron might be a brute. Megatron might even be egotistical and damned prideful, but he does have emotions. He also knows how passionate emotions rule ones drive and motivations in life. Hell, his own passion for glory and domination of Cybertron is emotional!  
Seeing what is happening to his troops right now is weighing heavily on his own spark. Beside him are two bots who have closed up their emotions and look colder than he. Down in the cargo hold, two of the most outcast bots in the universe have found and made a bond. Megatron knows there are other romances going on in his ranks but so far none of them have made it interfere with their work. Right now, Dreadwing is walking a fine tightrope.  
As much as Elevon is trying to hide behind a warriors pride, Dreadwing is hiding as well to drown himself in work. Megatron looks over to the purple and blue geniuses beside him as caterwallering Starscream comes in crabbing about something insignificant. The leader knows he needs to get this war to end soon. It's been going on too long and the emotional sanity of the Decepticons are going to fall soon. He will either end up with more cold reserved bots or he will end up with more over-emotional ones.  
His fist cracks to the table, "We need to ramp this up and bring this war to an end. I'm sick and tired of playing games with the Autobots."

~0~0~  
By the time the long and intense meeting is over, Dreadwing is more than cramped and edgy. On his way to the flight deck he sees a Vehicon trusted to walk the officer's quarter's deck. He hands over the data pad, "Please deliver that to my quarters and into the hands of Lieutenant Elevon." With a silent but curt nod, the black and purple mech does as ordered. Dreadwing takes a running leap off the deck and lets the feel of the wind's friction rush over his body before he flips to his jet mode and tears off across the sky. He needs to stretch his wings and burn off his thoughts before he plunges into his new duties.

~0~~  
El is awaken to a soft tapping to the door. Opening it, she is mildly surprised to see a simple Vehicon handing her a data pad. With a curt downward snap of his silent helm, he turns and leaves. The red femme with yellow finger tips looks to the assignment she has been given: Air Scout for Commander Shockwave.  
With a couple punches of the pad she finds basic information as to officer rotations to the command bridge and other duties/chores needing to be attended to. She has not been given new quarters, but nor does it look like Dreadwing has bothered to state where he will be bunking either. In other words, she can not search him out unless she uses the comm.-line. Looks like work might be her best distraction.  
Starting now.

~o~o~  
Sure enough, Dreadwing's plan worked. El and Dread rarely saw each other. Two airships passing in the air. It's not like they really had a relationship. What they shared was Skyquake. Still, it's not like they couldn't carry a conversation while the green one had been alive.  
It went on like this for weeks upon months. El is getting use to her new life. With carefully laid questions and digging through reports, Dread is pleased to see her moving forward and not wallowing in grief.  
One starry night, El is on the edge of the flight deck when he comes back home. To his surprise, she has a cube of warm Energon with those little flakes on the top waiting for him. "Can we talk?"  
His patrol done, he takes the offering and gives her a soft nod. She gives a soft huff and leans back against the wall crossing arms and ankles. "What do you do for fun, Dread?"  
He nearly chokes on his drink. "Fun?"  
She scoffs and shakes her head, "Knockout goes racing, Megatron beats up the training room, Starscream kicks Vehicons around and Laserbeak chases eagles. So I ask again, what does Dreadwing do for fun?"  
"I don't have time for fun," he starts to turn away.  
"Bullshit."  
That does make him stop and stare, "Excuse me?"  
She pokes him in the chest, "Yes, I've picked up some human vernacular. You used to have fun Dreadwing, what do you do now on this rock of a planet?"  
He downs the rest of the cube and hands the empty back to her, "Nothing."  
This time when she grabs his arm, he does turn completely. "Just because half of our sparks have died, doesn't mean we did."  
He looks down and sees she hasn't let go of his arm. She's not letting him get away and hide so easily. Seeing this, he also notices her taking a step or two closer to him. That raises just the optics and brows to look into her mischievous ruby ones. She's up to something.  
"What have you found?" His tone is low in warning as the brows narrow to a scowl.  
"There's a city not far from us and it's having an outdoor concert. Tonight is the last night. Come on, I already asked Soundwave, neither of us have patrol tonight. For old time's sake, let's go out." Her other hand reaches out and grabs his other bicep turning the reluctant brute. His pout is so cute. Similar and yet different than Skyquake's.  
Dread huffs and grumbles, "Yes, I know you two liked to dance-"  
"Oh no you don't!" She teases back with a tisking finger. "I saw you cut your own fair share of moves. What you didn't see was how many other optics were following you across the dance floor."  
She giggles seeing the proud warrior's cheeks flame red hot. Now Skyquake she could get to blush but that was behind closed doors and when he would spill his tender sweet side to her, this side of Dreadwing is just too adorable. El slides her hands down his arms and grips his hands, "Come on Dreadwing. Just you and me, I promise not to tell anyone else."  
He jerks his helm to the side in the dubious notion that someone will have to know of their whereabouts. "Soundwave?"  
That does make her take a deep breath and she pushes out a simple reply. "Really? Soundwave? The mech hasn't got a devious rivet in his whole body. No, you are going to have to do far better than that."  
Dreadwing knows he can't and gives a huff. Damn that femme is sneaky. His lips tug to the side as he grunts, "Fine. You owe me."  
She actually squeals and pulls him to the edge of the deck by outstretched hands, "After tonight, you will owe ME!" He groans and she falls backwards off the deck pulling him down with her the wind whipping against their wings and faces. Just to tease, he rolls so that the wind now whips her in the face before he breaks off and becomes his wicked jet form. She follows and leads the way to the concert.  
He has to admit, it's been a long time since he's had a wing mate. Someone compatible to bank, roll, and race with. Exhilarating. Flat out….fun. He smiles and even allows himself a laugh. El feeds off his joy and easily joins in bringing their flight a bit more challenge. She has to admit, Skyquake was a bit more timid in their air-tumbles. At least Dreadwing is willing to put a bit more risk and challenge into it. He is even taken off guard once and finds himself with a new swash of her red pain in the swap.  
The touch gives him more than a bump, it gives him a chilling thrill he hasn't felt in a long time. A stir in his spark that he never thought he would feel again.

Landing behind the amphitheatre and careful not to step on the trailers or electrical cabling, she smiles to him. The music begins pulsing and thumping and he gives her a side to side tip to his helm. Yeah, he does like this band's art. Her cheeky grin has him giving up his wall and relaxing into the beat.  
He reaches out and takes her hand. If he is going to cut loose, she's going to join him. He tugs her into some more difficult moves that remind her a lot of their flight mixed with the past days at the clubs. Dreadwing is not shy in making her work, nor is he aggressive in his hold or touches. They are always respectful, but giving her full motion to her skill and grace. He is smirking and most certainly enjoying watching her laugh and smile exuberantly. One thing he has to admit, he's got better moves than Skyquake and she knows it!  
It's when the music drops to a slow one, that she is surprised. He gently yet firmly pulls her against his body. Still it is a respectful hold, but it is clearly flushed against his worked up body. Closer than a 'first date' but not as close as lovers. She sees that look on his face, it's a nervous one. The way he bites his lip on the left instead of the right makes her giggle ever so slightly. It's the same nervous look Skyquake had for her when he wanted to ask her about making their relationship a bit more serious. Stepping closer and tingling her fingers along Dreadwing's nape, she hopes that maybe he will interpret her as well: She is open to more in their relationship.  
"Dread….," her touch is respectful but cupping and encouraging. To her disappointment, he looks away. Her peace is that he doesn't let go or push her back, he keeps the same hold on her. He likes where they are right now. He doesn't want to retreat, but he's not sure if he wants to make the next step yet. For tonight, this is perfect.  
With a soft sigh, she accepts this. He lets off his own relieved sigh when he feels her just lay her head softly against his chest and snuggle into his soft swaying form. His arms cuddle in a way that is nothing more and nothing less than supportive and loving.

Time flies, the concert closes and dawn is on the horizon. Nervous again, they try to figure out how to wrap up the evening. Like a bell, Dreadwing gets a ping on his comm.-line. "Commander, I need you to run a specialized mission."  
Stepping back from his dancing partner, Dreadwing wipes his brow, "I am at your service, My Liege."  
Elevon watches the relaxed mech she had just been playing with, pull his back up taught into his officer's duty. It tugs a spark string seeing him go from her playmate to her teammate in such a gliding motion. Like a master pulling his sword from it's sheath and elegantly bringing it to bear, Dancing Dread becomes Deadly Dreadwing.  
He closes the line and turns back to his escort. "I'm sorry I can not see you back to your quarters, but I must fly."  
Her spark skips a beat or three. He accepted this as a first date! Three more steps and he takes her hand lifting the finger lips to his lips. "Thank you, Elevon."  
She leans in and smiles back, "Thank you Dreadwing for a wonderful evening. Now go do your duty, Commander."  
He steps back giving her a slow graceful nod with soft optics before he flips to his jet form and dashes away. To her delight, normally reserved Dreadwing pulls a couple of wicked-aft sexy moves because he knows she is watching him before bursting into Mach-flight.  
With her own lift into the air, she knows her spark is soaring higher than her body. Now her comm.-line pings. "Lieutenant, I need you to meet me…"  
"Yes Commander Shockwave," she dreamily replies. A confused hum comes back from him before giving her more details. Elevon smiles thinking of her wonderful evening while doing as ordered.

~~

* * *

Time and flights pass. They find time to talk more. They find time to fly more. They find time. Starscream teases Dreadwing, he says nothing while Megatron smirks behind his own fist. Shockwave says nothing to El but does find it curious that the two Seekers have not furthered their relationship to the next logical step.  
With a rub to his chin, and a smirk of his antenna, Shockwave is pulled into a private meeting with Megatron and Soundwave. There all three of the officers make a plan.

~~~~  
Someone was gracious enough to warp the frigid mech into the hall just outside his private quarters. Shivering, and shoving a hand into an aft cheek plate and shaking out a leg, clumps of hard ice fall out of his armor thudding to the floor. With near numb fingers, he punches the code to his door. Just before he enters though, he gets a last data burst:  
: Commander, hot water unit currently being repaired. :

Dreadwing snarls and pounds the last number in. What is he to do? He's freezing and he can't use warm water to heat and defrost his numb and exhausted limbs. It's to the point where his joints actually hurt. He hasn't been this miserable since he doesn't know WHEN. Ripping his icy-sludged and wet armor off, he takes the towel from his wash room and briskly rubs down his naked form as much as he can before getting another blanket from his cabinet for his berth. Cutting the light, he tosses that one on top of the others before he roughly dives in and huddles underneath.  
"Ahhhh… WHAT?" He squeaks when a warm body presses up against his balled up frozen one.  
The other form squeals back as well. "You're freezing!" Quickly she presses back against him once she realizes how seriously cold he is.  
"No duh! I just came from the north pole where there's a blizzard," he snaps. So miserable and numb he allows her to rub his crunched up arms and breathe her warm breath into his helm top. He would love to just pull the blankets over the top of his helm like a sack and call it quits for the day, but there's another form here and he has to figure out what to do. She was here first and he should be a gentlemech and let her have the berth, but he's irritatingly cold and in no mood to cover himself back up with the icky ice-clod armor to find a new place to sleep. Forget it, he would rather stay here. Besides, it's a warm friend. He knows he is safe with her.  
His breath sucks in hard when her naked leg comes over the top of his own naked thigh. She's NAKED! He's NAKED! "Oh Primus…." he hisses, this is a very bad idea.  
This is NOT what he expected. His body has not felt a naked femme against it in so long that he is instantly embarrassed by it's reaction. She tries to push his knee down to get closer to him but his helm shakes. "Nah, not a good idea."  
He tries to push her leg off his, but his restimulated fingers chose to wrap around her firm thigh and instead of pushing it away, hold it still against his hard heating form. "Shit," he whispers. He's painfully hard between his crunched cold thighs.  
Her hand is slow in sliding up his strong muscled arm, over the buffed shoulder and down the spine.  
"El, this is a horribly bad idea," he tries to warn her.  
"Dread, shut up," she warns right back before cupping his naked aft and hurring. Her other hand cups his helm forcing his chilled nose into her warm throat and holding it there. She can feel his breath starting to pick up pace into a light pant with his taught restraint.  
The only hand he has free is now stuck gripping her hip refusing to listen to his rational side. It really likes feeling a safe warm form against them. "El…," he hates how husky her name came out of his throat into hers.  
"Dread, shhh, it's alright."  
"No…" he groans and curses his body for parting his lips, taking a light taste of the underside of her throat right at the sensitive area where the chin meets. Her hand grips and her throat presses in for another of his tasting nips. "El, please.. let me go."  
But his own hand slides over the trim hip and pans over the base of her spine. Just to further the problem, her own hand gives his aft a nice squeeze before panning up to his thigh and pushing it down.  
With a reluctant moan from him, her body slides down and against his now exposed torso. He's weak. So damn weak in his need to feel a warm body against his. Lust for touch is making the respectful side of him furious. He hates the fact that he loves her sweet and warm touches. He hates the fact that he is enjoying giving her a comfort she so needs.  
Falling to his back, both hands hold her against himself. Both of her legs slide between his hard thighs which means she is feeling something else quite hard against her belly. She says nothing about it though, instead focusing her attention to caressing his ashamed face. "Dreadwing, look at me darling."  
He won't even if his hands are caressing and comforting her spine and nape. "El, I am begging you to let me go right now," it's a pathetic whimper.  
"No," she whispers and turns his chin. Still he won't look at her so she takes matters into her own hands and pulls her self up closer by his shoulders. He feels her breathy words before she strikes, "I knew you were coming home cold." Hot lips take his.  
A kiss. A hot kiss. A hot passionate kiss. His hand tightens on her nape and to his further reluctance, his back arches pressing their lower areas closer together. The gasp of feeling such intimacy so very close, plunges her kiss even deeper.  
Reservations be damned! He kisses her right back. As hard and skilled as he is in his strikes on the battle field with a sword, his tongue is making in her mouth. It knows when to curl, when to strike, when to stroke and when to retreat bringing her into himself.  
He doesn't stop. She didn't heed his warnings and thus he rolls and pins her down under his hungry body. Ever so slowly he grazes his remaining sword against her belly in warning.  
Her hands still against his shoulders, slide up to hang onto his strong proud neck while her chest begins to pant to the dual 'swords' stroking her body. Its then that he pulls back.  
El's chest pants against his broad one. Looking up into his now open optics she sees them quite dark in heady lust. No, there is something more in there. She smiles weakly.  
"Hey there Dreadwing. Feeling warmer?"  
His throat grows tight and tries to swallow down all his thoughts. "Last chance, Elevon." It's not a threat, it's a promise. He won't hurt her, but he will unleash his long hidden desire for her. A desire that his honor has been wrestling with since the night they danced.  
"You will have to throw me out to make me leave. I'm right where I want to be," one hand slips from his throat down to his chest center. He looks to the exact point she stopped at. Not just his spark chamber, but the locking point of the spark chamber.  
"I'm tired of seeing you stand in the cold. I'm tired of being cold."  
"I'm not Sky-"  
Her hand lands over his lips so hard it was actually a slap. He winces to the hit but more so to the hurt in her optics. "NO! Don't you dare compare this to him!"  
To his further surprise, she kicks at his knee making him land hard on a hip. She uses this to her advantage and shoves him onto his back. With a cracking fist to his chest, snarls into his face, "Have I called you by his name?!"  
That leaves him blinking more than the blow to his body. She waits for him to search his memory and his head slowly shakes. No. Since her return, she has never once referred to Dreadwing with his brother's name. Sure they have talked about what the brothers had in common or different, but she has never mistaken one for the other.  
Lowering her body further over his she stares him down, "And what makes you think I want him now?"  
Her finger tip is very slow and sensuous in trailing down his body until it finds a scar that only Dreadwing has on the crease of his thigh-hip joint. He gasps again rolling his head back in a glorious moan. That's right, she knows about this one and lets her finger come even closer to his left curved mech unit. "I want you, Dreadwing, but the question is, do you want me or am I always to be a reminder of your brother?"  
Before she can grab him though, she finds herself flipped to her back with a gentle slam and him venting harshly in her face, "He never deserved you!" This time his hands and mouth are more than passionate. They are claiming, taking possession.  
Elevon is shocked! She never knew Dreadwing had such stronger deeper feelings for her all along. Sure she thought he was interested in her recently but with the surge of his desire pulls his chest plates back and makes it clear he is going to show her everything. El's chest matches his, and he comes for her. He doesn't reach into her chest though, he waits for her to join him out here. There she sees that he saw her first, but Skyquake was the bolder one to move first. As much as it panged him to see someone else claim the femme he wanted to be with, he couldn't be more happy for his brother to find someone who would be faithful and true to him. It was clear that she was head over heels for him and that's what mattered most. He decided that's the way fate wanted it, so he would leave it be and walk away.  
El sags but also beams. Yes, she did only ever have optics for the green one. She never thought of the blue one like she did the green one. Even now, she is in love with Dreadwing for different reasons than Skyquake.  
Dreadwing is thrilled by that. He has won her love not because of Skyquake's death. Not because they shared a spark, but because they have the same standard of values and honor. Likewise, the brothers found similar attributes alluring in her. But Dreadwing had one more advantage:  
He had seen her honor completely: she stayed devoted to Skyquake even after the fool turned down a chance to take her on this final mission at his side. Not something he would have done. In fact, he was livid at Skyquake leaving her behind when even Lord Megatron pointed out he should consider taking his mate on this long journey.  
"I will not make the same foolish mistake!" He vows and finishes the linking bond. For the first time in ages, they both breathe whole-spared again.  
Her hands clampore over his strong spine and edges herself up to take him in physically as the sparks swirl and bleed into each other. "Darling!"  
"Love…," he whispers and sinks his pulsing body and spark into hers.  
First of all it's been a very long time since his body has been surrounded so intimately. Secondly, never while being this much in love. Finally, never while having his spark stoked into a devoted joining. He rolls back to his haunches bringing her body up against his. Yes, the blankets may slide down around his pedes to the berth top, but the couple are more than warm enough now with the passionate friction in motion. Her hands cling around his shoulders hanging onto forever. His wrap around her shoulders and hips surging his body and spark deeper and deeper into each other.  
The finishing touch is her mouth claiming his. Something so endearing as a kiss sends him over the edge. He cries into her mouth with his release. She swallows it all down.  
Panting they both retreat a little bit as the sparks fold themselves back up. She giggles when he shivers viciously nearly dislodging them physically. He can't help but snigger a little himself as well. He lowers and they both tug the blankets over their still entangled forms. "Hum, nothing like a warm homecoming."  
She giggles tucking herself closer. "Shh, you need some sleep. I saw how tired you really are."  
With a grunt his optics sink closed, "Even more so now, but never felt better."  
"Good," she gives him a last kiss and a sweet order, "Sleep." He just hums and does as told.

~o~  
"Commander Dreadwing?" It's a soft call to the officer's title and designation. Only a grunt comes back as the comm.-line is activated. Lord Megatron silently chuckles to himself seeing two blue dots in the Commander's quarters nearly on top of each other in the map before him. 'It's about time,' his purple spark pulses. Still, the rouge and commander in him presses, "Commander?"

Back in the now warmed quarters, a sluggish and groggy officer pulls is hand back under the blankets from where he had activated the intercom line from his alcove berth head. "Yes?"  
"Dreadwing…," it takes a few minutes for the officer to recognize the interrupting voice. The deep gravely voice sounds like his leader, but the tone is soft and warm. Warm, much like how he feels snuggled into his blanket cocoon with another warm form in his arms and half beneath him. "What are you doing?"  
"Trying to sleep. What should I be doing?" With Megatron being kind to him, much like back in their gladiator days during down time, Dreadwing knows he can be soft right back.  
Megatron chuckles right back. No one can hear their conversation here in his private quarters. "Just making sure you made it back in one piece."  
Dreadwing hums and nuzzles his face into the sweet aroma of a mate in his arms. "Perfectly whole." It takes him a few moments with his groggy brain. Megatron is the one who activated the bridge and dropped him in the hallways right outside his quarters. He would also be the one to adjust her duty-shift.  
"Thank you," he mumbles back to his leader.  
"My pleasure. Good night, Commander," Megatron smiles back and cuts the line. If he's lucky, the twin trait of Dreadwing's will bring forth two more to their ranks. No, not ranks, hopes.


	7. Northwest

Winds of Change: Northwest  
Undercurrent by Darst-llah inspired this femme-Soundwave warrior and dear loyal Shockwave.

* * *

Megatron watches as his silent communications spy continues hard at work. With Shockwave back among the ranks, Soundwave has been more than tense and Lazerbeak's agitated as well. Not that anyone else would notice a change in Soundwave's behavior, only the few who knew the blue bot before the war would notice.  
The silver leader sits upon his throne looking over his array of monitors and computers. It's been boring lately. The Autobots are not trying to infiltrate his ship. They are not making great risks to stop his crew from mining Energon. Life is a bit dull right making him irritated and antsy. Other than the discovery in the lower cargo bay and wherever Predaking mysteriously flies off to now and again, he's near ready to go pick a fight with Prime. Bugs him that Soundwave hasn't found out yet where Predaking is dashing off to.  
The door parts and his lead scientist slowly, heavily glides into the room. That does pull the sliver helm from his dull-drum thoughts. Damn that mech is a sexy beast with his thickly rounded thighs, broad shoulders, twitching tasset and then of course the deep rich, elegant voice of utmost dignity. Megatron won't lie, the mech is…. Gorgeous.  
He turns his helm from the purple one to the dusky blue one who stumbles in keying in something with the presence of the purple one's arrival, although back turned. Neither has acknowledged either's presence That makes the leader frown.  
One more thing about Shockwave: his spark is also spoken for. Wings on the dusky blue chest flutter again at the arrival of the purple scientist and Megatron sighs silently watching Soundwave's spine straighten if not tingle and still ramrod straight for a moment before trying to go back to work.  
Megatron might be a brute. Megatron might be a dictator. Megatron is even mean at times, but he's not truly sadistic to those who are honestly loyal to him. He lowers his helm and rubs his hood in a private shame to a time when his temper more than snapped hurting the two most loyal soldiers in his army. He knows it's time. He knows he needs to apologizes to them. It really wasn't their fault, they were just doing what was natural and he… he knows he was way too hard on them when Soundwave would never remove her facial shield to him again in private meetings after Nemesis flight from Cybertron. Separating and exiling Shockwave after finding out Soundwave was expecting…was… wrong but right at the same time.  
Once more the leader sighs heavily. When Shockwave recently returned, he would not show his face to his leader either. With the mech, it could be he did not want to reveal his own facial shame, but Megatron couldn't tell. The stoic and logical mech just, closed up his friendship with the leader as well. Ever the professional, he said nothing of his personal feelings other than proud to be back beside his Leader and assisting in the cause.  
As for the personal ramifications to the bondhood of the mates, none of the three had even brought it up. Soundwave stayed at the bridge console, Shockwave to his off-sight labs unless beckoned. Megatron was not a fool, he knew they were not seeing each other personally in order to keep from lighting his wrath again. They respected their leader too much and were sacrificing their relationship for the cause. On top of that, they were afraid of lighting Megatron's wrath again. One of the bonded's actions could cause death to the other thus terminate the three way gladiator-friendship forever. No one has verbally discussed the exile. Personal tension between the three could be tightrope walked but no one but these three know.  
Megatron knows it's up to him to break the silence on this issue between them all. A long standing professional and personal relationship can not stand for ever on stilts. This must be resolved! The tension between Shockwave and Soundwave is going to break and everyone is going to know soon enough. It would be best if they had their Leader and former friend's blessing and forgiveness rather than burst from primal and neglected needs. If Blitzwing and Black Arachnia are allowed to continue with their unexpected propagation, why not two bots who have been nothing but loyal to each other and to him from the beginning plus through political and personal wars?

With a lift of his leadership helm bringing all his thoughts to a head; he sees Shockwave with a bowed form and crossed arm salute awaiting his master's orders.  
"Soundwave," Megatron's voice is so sweetly-soft in beckoning that even Shockwave lifts his optic in curiosity. Megatron says nothing more until the silent form has stepped beside Shockwave. This one does not bow, just waits. "It's time. Go."  
Both of the 'Waves look to each other and then to their Leader making sure they heard the same sub-message. It makes Megatron smile and he leans forward to slip a finger under the little flyer on Soundwave's chest. "Lazerbeak, stay with me, please?"  
She unfolds, but to Megatron's surprise, Shockwave takes her and she flattens herself over the purple chest clinging to him. Instead of being upset, Megatron chuckles warmly and runs his knuckle down the back of the little flier, "Yes, of course, how foolish of me. Go, I have this watch. Both of you have my favor to… continue."  
Soundwave's chest hitches in fighting back a burst of expressed emotion. Shockwave bows again laying a flat hand over the flier on his chest and even though his tone might still be regal, it hitches and comes out a touch more personal than professional, "Thank you M-my Lord."  
Megatron gives them one last favorable nod, and Soundwave leads the way out the door. Shockwave is a bit more protective on following the blue spy a down the corridors towards Soundwave's secured quarters. He walks slightly behind the blue flier closer than anyone has ever seen before. His hand is more than itching to cup that slim waist and hold it against himself as they continue, but some how he doesn't.  
As soon as the door closes, Soundwave is pinned to the door by Shockwave's larger warm body. With a couple clicks and hisses, both purple and black glassed facial shields are tossed aside. Soundwave's very femme face is exposed with lavender wet optics. Shockwave's single large ruby optic is just as wet on his scared and mutilated round face. The sharp angled lab-shield-facial guard he wears is to hide the burn damage that had been done to him as he tried to race after Nemesis as she flew away with his mate and unbirthed sparkling.  
Soundwave strokes over his face. Even she has not seen this damage since his return months ago. Of course she would know his helm antenna and that luscious voice, along with that armor and dignified walk anywhere. She just had no idea this had happened to him, but Shockwave will not allow her to focus on that. Instead, he is taking her hand so they can both caress their sparkling Lazerbeak who is so excited and soothed to feel both halves of her creators against her. That brings a bright smile to the scarred face.  
Soundwave smiles seeing him smile. Her face has been hidden since shortly after the beginning of the Decepticon rising when someone had made a move on her and Shockwave killed him and disposed of the body before even Megatron knew. After that, she had only exposed her face to a select few trusted officers. When Nemesis left Cybertron and Shockwave behind, she never uncovered it for anyone other than Lazerbeak. Not even Megatron.  
That is the past though. Right now is their future and Megatron has given them permission to reignite their relationship and even to have another sparkling. The two are more than passionately in love with each other. The static tension between them has been misinterpreted by the crew as hate, if any of them (other than Megatron and Starscream) knew the truth, they would be stunned.  
Lazerbeak is more than happy to feel her parents against her but she also knows her parents need each other alone. "We will see you in the morning, alright? If we have been successful, you will not be alone for long," Soundwave's soft natural voice gives the blessing.  
Shockwave brings her up to his distorted lips and gives her a warm nuzzle. Yes, the little one has been to the labs to get private cuddles from her father, but this is the first kiss she has been given, so he gives her another and his soft chuckle. With that, she moves towards the door. Soundwave lets her out and both smile watching their little one do the mother's acrobatic swoops and twirls down the hall back to the command deck to stay with Megatron. They know he will allow NOTHING to happen to her.  
The door hasn't even closed completely and Shockwave's twisted mouth is upon Soundwave's in a hungry needing kiss. He needs to taste everything he has missed of his mate. She allows him and feeds off it as well pushing her own passion right back. Deftly, she is tugging and pulling his armor aside. The buff mech with seductive hips finds his cannon carelessly dropped to the floor and the rear cable-chain disconnected harshly.  
Part of that might have been his fault because he had chosen just that moment to pan his claw tipped hand over her aft bringing the small pelvis against his naked hard one. With a cuss from the mech, the femme is panting for more. Her armor is more than tossed aside quickly as she is ever so gently but possessively lifted to be laid out on her berth. She shakes her head as he tries to pleasure her. His whole body slumps, but she gives him a soft smile and taps the side of his hip which he understands all too well.  
It may have been eons since their bodies last knew each other, but still they know each other. He lays his larger form to the side and waits for her to roll as well until there is room for him to lay on his back and she straddles his lap to look down on him.  
She looks as slim and pristine as ever, he looks more than battled and scarred. The cannon covers where half his arm went missing after their separation. There's a gash that goes from shoulder down to his hip that has healed over roughly. There are signs to his body of other blows he has taken and healed without the care of a true medic. Her hand pans over each and every one. Yes each one has a story marking the time they have been away from each other, but his remaining clawed hand comes up and cups her cheek to turn her back to the present. There she sees why he wanted to be over her, he didn't want her to look on the past. He didn't want her to be angry with Megatron any longer and remain silent with him. They were here now and been promised time alone together to create a new sparkling.  
Shockwave rises up pulling her closer. This kiss is slow and rolling. Not brutal and hard as the last one. The half arm is warm and supportive against her back taking them back to the position he wanted: him over her and protecting her. She slips both hands around his crowned helm directing his kisses where he already knows to go, but loves that she is pressing up into. At that one point, he stops and looks up to her. He needs to know if there has been anyone else. In his spark he knows that she wouldn't willingly give herself over (well unless she truly thought he was dead and had resparkmated) but this is war after all and there's no telling if someone has TAKEN her against her will (Autobot or Decepticon). If that is what has occurred, he wants to be extra careful if not stop completely.  
Her face falls to his ever so sweet and gentle kindness of thinking of her over his own needs and desires. Ever so softly she tells him the truth, "No, there has been no one and never will be." He waits checking to make sure she is not just telling him this to appease his guilty spark for not being able to stow away on the ship and come with them, instead of just 'following orders' and remaining at his post as Guardian.  
Soundwave smirks and gives him a twinkle to her optic, "Oh please, Shockwave. You and I are the two smartest beings on this ship and probably this whole planet. Do you really think anyone would be able to harm me?"  
He frowns and purses his twisted lips just making him look more adorable in her optics. "Cockiness is not like you, Soundwave."  
She slides a trim leg between his thighs thrumming his overhard mechliy-hood with a graceful pede, "No, maybe not, but I am more than a skilled soldier and a spy for a reason. Besides…." This takes a lot for her to say, "He wouldn't allow anyone to harm me. He guarded me as much as I guarded Nemesis for him." Her fingers twirl over a fine sensitive point on her mate's helm as she reminds him what a friend Megatron has always been to them both. "You saw it today."  
Shockwave has to admit, he did sense a bit of guilt in Megatron upon his arrival months ago, not that anyone would ever notice it let alone say anything. The genius nods and turns his attentions back to his wonderful mate. If no one has touched her, then that means, it will be much like their first night. He doesn't need to say he will be gentle, they both know what a gentlemech he is.  
So he begins to prepare her, much to her moaning delight. Soft kisses to her belly and thighs as his fingers play her body making it sing just for just him. Those waves of heat and pheromones her body are putting off is sending his virile desire into overdrive, yet still the gentlemech in him is restraining his dominating possessive half from just TAKING her.  
That was until her fingers and claws start attacking his chest. With each stroke he gives her, she plays about the rim of his spark chamber. As much as they need a physical joining, they really need a spark merge. It's been killing them to see each other hard at work but not being able to be alone. They couldn't trust themselves and if they defied Master Megatron again, they know someone would be executed, not something any one of the three of them would be able to survive, let alone Lazerbeak.  
"Shockwave!" She pleads. Her claw digs extra hard this time actually drawing blood.  
Propped over her by his stump, remaining hand deeply occupied, he uses his bite to yank her hand away from his chest with a hiss. She still has another hand available and that is the last straw; the chest plate pulls back. Her hand dives for the chamber throwing his head back with a animalistic growl and a pant. Her devious fingers are making it clear her spark is going to ravage and devour his as much as his body is going to plunge and consume hers.  
Slowly his helm comes back up and then tipped down to pin her with his heady-hungry gaze. "How do you want this?" Does she want to bond first? Does she want a physical joining first? Does she want both at once?  
"I don't know. I don't care. Don't make me decide, I just need you." Her voice pleads.  
He brings himself back to hover over hers fully and gives his own soft order, "Let me in, Love."  
Her chest plates part and they return home.

Lost in the swirling vortex of passion and desire and that mysterious word called love, they find THEM again. Everything they were before, everything they have become. Their separation is coming together again. It warms them both to feel the same thing: separated, they felt they same longing, worry and intense love for each other. Shockwave was glad she had left with a sparkling to keep a constant reminder of his love with her. Soundwave is glad to have had his most precious creation with her, guarding it as much as he was guarding their home.  
Her body might have taken it's toll in birthing Lazerbeak, but his did too in guarding a dying planet with rouges and pockets of half dead beings. Its hard to say who was in exile: the one racing across the stars or the one left on a dead planet?  
All of that is null and void now, though. Now, they have enough passion and desire to bring three planets back to life. He smiles, she giggles. He croons, she swoons. He presses his promises into her spark, she takes them and tucks them safely into her soul.  
She soothes over his helm and deep within, he leans and soaks up the touches. On and on the lovers roll their needs, pleas, touches, and caresses over each other's bodies and souls until the beloved friction is so high, they burst in released cry that echoes down the halls of the great ship.

~~  
Hearing the roar-scream, Megatron silently smiles from his post on his throne pressing a kiss to the top of the resting flier sleeping on his chest. Vehicons and Starscream whip around hearing the cry of agony being released. For them, it sounds like someone being tortured. For Megatron, he knows it's a cry of homecoming. He cups his shielding hand around the young sleeping flyer's helm and gives a leader's bark, "What are you looking at?! Back to work!"  
Starscream just stares a bit longer at his leader pondering if he even heard the sound. Then he looks around the bridge. For once, Soundwave isn't here, that's odd.  
Megatron cocks a brow ridge, "Yes, Starscream? Is there a reason you can not perform your duties?"  
Starscream knows better than to ask, so just shakes his head and turns back to his console. No one hears Megatron whisper something soft to the little one flat against his chest fast asleep.

~~  
Shockwave rolls to his left side letting Soundwave's pillow rest over his stump. She rarely slept here as it was, therefore the thing is still fluffy as if brand new. The one under his own helm is one she would wrap her body around on the rare occasions she would silently cry herself to sleep. He smiles tucking her against his front like she would that pillow. She tucks her knees up and likewise he does too. Pulling the blanket over them both, Shockwave nuzzles into her nape and Soundwave gives off a soft sigh. Her body falls to its front during the night and he lays half over her keeping her pinned down with his protective body.  
For the first time in eons, both of them sleep deeply. So deep, that neither feels the thunder claps rocking the ship or the increased pitch to the engines when Megatron pulls Nemesis and crew above the cloud line.

~~~  
Shockwave does awaken when he feels his mate turn in her sleep and nibble into his throat. His elegantly long tips slowly trail down her spine cupping her aft in warning. Yes, she felt the warning, but doesn't care. Wriggling her hand between them, she thumbs and makes it clear she needs to surround and take him in once more. With a hum of satisfaction, Shockwave rolls to his back and lets her do as she pleases with him.  
Oh yes, there she goes, giving him lithe touches and longing strokes along his broad chest, tight abs, and sinful hips. His single hand gives a soft gliding grip to her hip and there she goes!  
He grunts up into her needs. She softly pants in time to his spark beat. This time it's her helm that languishly falls back and slack jawed gives a silent cry. He bites his twisted lip and finishes her off.  
He almost doesn't catch her as her slim form falls forward in exhaustion. Too much time away, too many long shifts, just…. Too much. To have him against her again is a drug that is all too… wonderful. Carefully he eases her back against his chest allowing her to sleep longer.

~~~  
At her next shift, Shockwave is clean, polished and a bit of a more prideful step to his commanding glide to the bridge. Megatron only turns from his conversation with Starscream when he feels Lazerbeak fly off his shoulder to land on Shockwave's. He had figured it was Soundwave coming in, the leader is quite surprised to see Shockwave take her post instead. Communications may not be his strongest field, but he can handle it more than well enough that he does know. Megatron's face breaks out in a curiously amused expression.  
Starscream's optics go wide recalling the strange sound he heard yesterday. He actually gulps wondering if Shockwave killed his former mate. Yes, he is one of the few that knew they were mated but always wondered why they were separated. He thought there had been a big fight between the couple, having no idea of the truth (after all it was none of his business!). Now he swallows again knowing exactly how deadly Shockwave is to Autobot and Decepticon alike, "Sh-shockwave…wh-where is Soundwave?"  
"None of your concern," he states curtly giving Lazerbeak a soft scratch to the chin.  
That pisses the Air Commander off and he starts to move, "Listen, Science Officer! I am SECOND in Command and I -"  
"Leave it alone, Starscream," Megatron laughs lightly patting the slim flyer's shoulder. "Just drop it."  
"But My Liege, if he killed our Spy-"  
Shockwave turns his helm ever so slightly and cants it, "Excuse me?"  
Starscream sputters, "I heard that cry of torture! You killed Soundwave didn't YOU! WHY? What did-"  
Megatron can't help but laugh more boldly this time knowing full well that Shockwave has probably plunged his over worked mate into a deep stasis that BOTH of them more than need.  
Shockwave on the other hand shakes his head ever so lightly. Under his facial shield he is grinning rather arrogantly to his sexual release reaching the audios so far within the ship, but no he will not reveal that. "Kill Soundwave? Hardly," is all he states ruefully and turns back to the communications array as if the thought bores him. Megatron chuckles again trying to hold back a full blow roar to this coded reply of the reserved one.  
Starscream looks up to his leader near terrified, "But-"  
"Like I said, Starscream, leave it alone. Soundwave is on a different mission, correct Commander?" The sliver mech addresses the sire before him.  
Shockwave places a hand over his spark and gives a grateful bow of his helm to his Master, "Yes, My Liege." Then with a second thought, Shockwave brings a graceful stroke under the little one's chin, "Go see to your creator's care." Without a second thought, Lazerbeak flies off.  
Starscream is about to speak again when the screen pings. With a few key strokes, the image is enlarged. Megatron steps behind his genius and hums, "What is it, Shockwave?"  
"A Decepticon signal."  
"Can you tell whom?"  
With a few more key strokes, the computer files through the personal list. A few are listed in red, deactivated. The ones in purple are active, but the yellow ones are declared MIA or unknown status. There! Three signals come up for MIA officers.  
Shockwave allows Starscream to push him aside. "Oh Primus… they are still alive?"


	8. South

Prediqueen

Shockwave is gentle in awakening of Predaking with a hand to the shoulder. The crowned mech is warmly surprised to see his creator optic to optic with him. That could only mean that the purple mech has lowered his body to berth level.  
The creator is not looming over his creation but nor is he kneeling before the one with a royal name. There is a respectful warm way his weight is balanced on the balls of his strong pedes with a proud straight back, cannoned arm across his lap of splayed thighs. Perfect balance of grace and respectful pride.  
More to the point, a respectful and giving tone to his voice. "Predaking, I have someone I would like for you to meet."  
The pumice black and lava orange mech sits up stretching his wings wide with a yawn, "Alright."  
He watches as the purple mech grasps nothing and he just rises straight up to a standing position much like an elevator's gliding lift with his graceful long digits panning out towards his own personal area. Silently the two skilled mechs make their way over to the motioned area.  
Shockwave steps aside allowing the taller mech room to continue into the cornered off area. It makes Shockwave inwardly smile to see the vibrant optics go wide at the sight of the lean femme seated at the table turning her cube of Energon this way and that. Predaking looks almost shocked. Correction, amorously stunned.  
He can tell she is not dumb in her exploration of her cube. No, it's clear her mind is watching the crystal flakes laying on top change color in the adjusting light. She's fascinated and bored at the same time.  
Predaking looks to Shockwave and then back for confirmation of what he is seeing. A white and ice blue Predacon femme with folded wings of snow with delicate blue trim. Two silver twisted horns coming off the top of her blue crested helm dotted with pearl like glows. Her curious optics even have an icy-lavender hue to them. Most astounding is her lovely trim lilac lips set above the chin resting in the palm of her light blue clawed hand. He smiles when she dips her other hand's claw tip into her drink and curls it under one of the crystal flakes. Delicately, she lifts it from the cube being sure to keep it balanced. Just as it comes to her face, a forked lilac tongue slips out of her perfect lips to take the crystal off her claw-tip.  
Once more, Shockwave smiles to himself watching the mech's own dark wings slump in awe. The strong throat swallows something down that Shockwave is all too familiar with. The creator whispers, "I have found you a companion. I hope you deem her worthy."  
Now the proud jaw does drop. All of his brethren have been shamelessly killed (and sacrificed) and yet Shockwave created someone JUST for him? More than just a companion… an intended mate, that much he understands clearly.  
With a rise to his broad chest, Shockwave speaks a little louder, "I will leave you two to get acquainted." He tips his helm to the surprised femme, and then turns on his heel. Both of them hear his heavy yet graceful pedes not only retreat from this area, but with an activation of the ground bridge, the base as well. Shockwave has left them completely alone.  
For the first time in his life, Predaking feels dumb. Her graceful helm rises to meet his bewildered optics. "Hello. Master Shockwave told me there was another of my kind here."  
Dumbly he nods. She is beautiful. Optics of topaz-amber, a soft voice of confidence, and a sweet but strong smile. Carefully she pours another cube for him from the craft and then picks up a small jar, "I haven't figured out what these are yet, but Master says they spice up the Energon, whatever that means. Would you like some?"  
Stupidly he just nods again and takes the seat across from her. He takes the cube as she sides it towards him, "Do you have a name?" She shakes her head. "What does Shockwave call you?"  
"Little One," she gives a light shrug of her graceful shoulders. Then she smiles sheepishly, "But now that I am fully matured and taller than our master, I guess I will need a new name."  
Predaking gives a light huff, "He's not our Master. Did he create us, in a way yes, but he is not our Master. We master our own destinies."  
"What do you call him?" She curiously asks taking another sip of her drink.  
"Shockwave, I no longer call him Master and nor does he expect me to." He takes a chug of his drink nearly slamming the cube back down.  
She flinches back and he actually feels sorry for his rough move. Rubbing his face with his own clawed hand, he tries again, "Look, yes just like any Cybertronian we have been made, created, or birthed by someone else but it is our lives that we lead. We get to chose what we do with them. Yes, in a way we are bound by the Decepticons until we can provide Energon and some other basic necessities for ourselves, but we are not pets or offspring."  
To his surprised, she pushes her cube to the side and crosses her arms on the table and then leans over them into his face, "I fully agree, but I needed to know where you stood."  
He blinks a couple times before a slow sneaky and extremely pleased grin pulls across his face. "You are a worthy queen."  
Now she leans back in her seat and cants her helm to the side shooting him a deadly warning from her darkening optics, "Let me make this clear, 'King, I am not trading in one master for another." Now a toothy smile is across his face so she presses on with a jabbing claw to his insignia, "We are the last two of our kind, sure, but that doesn't make you rule over me. If we do this, we do it together."  
He leans in and plunks his chin into his own clawed palm giving her a dreamy look, "I think I'm in love."  
With a snort of icy crystals from her nostrils, she rolls her optics. "Oh Primus!"  
He laughs and that's when she sees he was teasing her just to break the ice. "Have you been allowed to take flight yet?" She gives a nod. "Who all knows of your existence?"  
She shakes her head, "I think he was keeping me a secret for you alone, but I'm not a hundred percent sure of that."  
Predaking rises and holds his hand out. "Well in that case, we need to hide you away as soon as possible. Let's go."  
There was never a doubt in her mind to trust him but she knew he needed to know he could trust her as well. That little push was just what he needed and she accepts his hand. He guides her over to an opening in the ceiling and drops to his dragon mode.  
With a soft rustle of plates, she too drops to all four icy-colored clawed paws. His dark form shivers seeing the drop dead gorgeous femme-dragon beside himself. With a primal hurr, he makes it clear she is attractive. She snorts another set of ice crystals and shakes her regal head. If he wants her as a mate, he will have to do far better than that.  
With a leap, she folds her wings, slips through the chimney slot and unfurls her wings on the other side. He makes the leap too but just as he reaches the mouth of the chimney, is optics flare to a solid clear barrier. It's too late and he slams into the cold hard block of ice. The screech of a giggle can be heard on the other side as he crashes back down to the floor of the cavern on his bent wings. Stunned to her tease, he shakes his helm and launches a fireball to the ice block making it instantly return to rain. Then with a growl, he leaps through the cleared hole.  
There in the sky he looks for the vixen and finds her flying north towards an ice capped mountain range. His larger wings thrust harder and surge him forward hot on her tail. Seeing her tail swish in flight, he gives a devious smirk and stretches his neck out. There he takes the tip in his maw and gives a gentle tug. To his delight, she squeaks and jerks her head around. By that time, of course, he has released it and dashed on.  
Narrowing her lovely optics, she too presses on after the arrogant thing. This time though, she lets off her icy breath to his tail tip. The ice ball's weight surprises him and with a grunt, his proud tail slumps like a beaten puppy pulling the rest of the dragon off balance and down. He has to curl himself to melt it with his own breath before scowling his face and chasing after her.  
Cheeky thing. Arrogant boss.  
Slick sly thing. Buff bold bot.  
Charming cutie. Haughty gentlemech.  
Graceful. Grand.  
Smart. Diligent.  
Ice. Heat.

Panting side by side the two of them try to wedge into the cave they both spotted at the same time. She laughs and he retreats a little bit giving the lady room. He holds back watching her instead of inspecting the cave. As much as he knows she is to be his mate and he is a beast, he's not THAT kind of a beast.  
Part of him wants to stay right here and hover over her, protecting her. Not only is she the last of their kind but that little adventure they just had is stirring a warmth in his spark he's never felt before. Hovering over her will do neither of them any good though. For hovering is not much different than being caged, even if it is in care instead of domination.

Queen turns from her exploration. There she flips to her bot form approaching King. He backs up looking… shy? "King?"  
He actually shivers and backs further out of the cave. "Um…"  
She smiles and laughs lightly, "I'm not going to bite, unless you want me to."  
That makes a completely different shiver go down his body to settle in an area he is not used to feeling come alive. His cheeks flare dark and he backs up a little more making a back foot slip off the cave entrance, "I -um- I'll be back. Please stay safe and hidden. I will return with what you need." And he brings his wings into action stepping further back into mid air and flying away.  
He doesn't make it far when he stops and smacks himself in the face. What the hell is he doing? How is he supposed to advance? What.. When..? How..?

A rumble brings his helm up. There he sees a purple tank rumbling across the field. One of the few mechs he can actually trust. More than that, one who will treat him with respect. Still… the mech is so reserved.  
Predaking watches the tank roll away. In a few moments he will be out of sight. Predaking bites his lip trying to decide if he should speak to the older mech about this delicate issue.  
With a flip to his wings, he decides to take a chance. After all, Shockwave is an attractive mech and probably has more information than enough active information on this subject. With a swoop, clamps his claws into the tank's top lifting him off the ground. It makes him laugh to hear such a deep-squeaked tone come from the great mech in his claws.  
He tries not to laugh as he grunts back seriously, "We need to talk." The dragon takes his prize to a secluded spot.  
Lightly, he drops the tank back to his treads and transforms himself beside him. Swiftly, the purple one flicks to his own pedes and brusquely brushes himself down with an indignant grunt. Just as the kidnapped one is about to speak, he notices the younger one's domineer: a nervous pacing mech. That does bring the antenna to a curious angle, "Predaking?"  
When the younger taller mech doesn't reply, the older shorter one huffs his demand. "I have duties to attend to, I do not have time to be kidnapped."  
The long arms throw up into the air, "I don't know what to do!"  
"Excuse me?" Shockwave is completely baffled.  
That just makes Predaking even more frustrated and stomps a foot down. "Look! I know she's supposed to be my mate in order to propagate our species but-"  
The lone lilac hand raises, "No."  
That makes the other stall and blink. "Excuse me?" It's his turn to ask this time.  
Shockwave's shoulders relax and even his voice comes out softer. It's a tone that very few have ever heard from the reserved mech. "All the rest of his Decepticons and Autobots have friends, comrades, and yes even lovers. It makes sense for you to have one of your own. Someone you can talk to on a level that none of the rest of us can even try to understand."  
Now Predaking's shoulders relax as well as he sinks to a rock, "Shockwave, you and Megatron are the only two I have ever really talked to. I don't want to talk to her on his level." Shockwave nods in agreement to that. Plunking an elbow to a thigh, the regal chin plunks into it's palm. "What am I supposed to do? What did you do with your…companion?"  
Shockwave turns aside and begins to walk away. When Predaking doesn't follow right away, he quirks his antenna. That the younger one understands and dashes to catch up with his experienced creator. He tips his helm to look down into the normally stoic face, "Shockwave?"  
Shockwave turns ever so slightly and Predaking sees a completely different expression on his face than he's ever seen before. It's almost amusing. Shockwave gives his wise advice: "Walk with her. Talk with her. Argue with her. Learn about her and likewise, let her learn about you."  
"That's it?!"  
Now it's Shockwave's turn to be amused by the other's expression. He even gives him a soft chuckle for it. "Oh trust me, it will do amazing things for you both. Your spark will feel things it never felt before." With that, he touches his comm. "I'm ready, Soundwave."  
A vortex opens directly before him and he walks through never breaking his soft gliding steps. Predaking's jaw drops as the vortex closes over the stripped glowing spine. What did Shockwave tell him without telling him anything? He turns and slumps back down to his rock again.  
Companion. His mind ponders and rolls through the definition of the word. Yes, he can see this for them. A confidante. A friend. A solace.  
Each word raises his helm higher and prouder. It's not that she will be HIS companion, it's that he will be HER'S. She will need a support as much as he.  
With this new boost of direction along with Shockwave's simple advice, Predaking dashes off to an Energon mine he knows of. With a roar and snarl, he takes a cart load of crystals with him and flies off, much to the mining drone's surprise.

Here he lands back at the hidden cave and flips back to his bot mode to bring in the cart of crystals. Queen looks up from where she has been carving out a larger area and even dug some shelves into the rock with her claws.  
He makes his steps loud enough as not to startle her. "Hello, Queen."  
With a turn, she flushes deeply which bring a soft smile right back at him. The black shoulders give a soft shrug, "If I am to be King, it only seemed fitting that you be Queen."  
She accepts this seeing that he is not aggressively advancing on her. Heck when he left, he was fleeing from her!  
"I can see you will need more to make this a proper home. I will work diligently to provide for you, seeing how I know more about this place."  
"May I come with you? I would like to learn more as well."  
Shockwave's simple words come to mind. Work with her. Talk with her. Learn with her. "I would like that. Certainly would give us a chance to get to know each other better."  
"I would like that too, King. I guess the first thing you can teach me is how to ingest these," she takes a crystal and twirls it in the light of cave entrance.  
He lifts one as well and taking a small blade from his cuff, slicing a small piece off. "Unlike the current bots, our older and more primitive digestive system will allow us to consume it raw." He takes a bite of the chip. "Fresh." He hands over another chip for her.  
Ladylike, she takes a small bite savoring and exploring the taste. "Hum, a different texture and taste to it." Lightly, she pops the rest into her mouth.  
Predaking slices off another and pops it in as well, "Shh, don't tell him this, but I do like the way Shockwave prepares the warm Energon with a bit of dark chocolate and those little sprinkles he keeps hidden away."  
She giggles. Yes absolutely giggles to the proud and regal-haughty mech being sheepish about his palate for the stoic mech's convection-vice. She almost wonders if it's a piece of the creator in the creation or just a matter of environment.  
Slicing another chip, he snorts to her while waving his blade tip, "Just for that, no sprinkles for you." He saw her playing with them, he knows she likes them too!  
Still giggling she tries to pout blinking her doey optics. "Ohhhh, you didn't really mean that."  
He scowls and narrows to one optic trying to block out her beauty and cutie, "Try me."  
Trying very hard to hold her pout, she glides up to him. Try as he might to hold his scowl, it's getting harder and harder for him with each step she takes. He loses it all though when her deft digits find that thin spot in his side plates making him wiggle and  
GIGGLE!  
Prediqueen actually makes Predaking GIGGLE. He baps and swats at her fingers like a sparkling, but she doesn't give up. Backing him up until he is pinned to the wall he wriggles the whole way. That's when he knows he has been…  
Matched.  
Back pressed to the wall, he looks into those laughing optics and his own humor dies. Queen notices this as well but it's when she looks into his optics that she sees a new look.  
He's not shy. He's not mad. He's not scared. He's not beat. He's… different.

A soft hand closes over hers on his side, "I give."  
"You give what?" It's her throat that swallows something down this time into those soft warm optics.  
His other hand comes up and touches her cheek ever so softly before he slides up and lets a single finger trace through the spiral of her silver horn. "I'll give you whatever you want."  
She reaches out and covers his hand this time upon her body. His touch stills. There they stand each covering the other's touch looking to the deep and needy optics. Not a lustful-need, a compassionate and comrade need.  
"Alright, I'll let you give it to me as long as you take something in return," her thumb rubs over the back of his hand.  
Now he swallows and huskily asks, "What is that?"  
"Whatever I give," she steps closer. Dangerously close.  
He's read of kisses, romance and interfacing even if it is based for regular Cybertronians and not necessarily for his race. Still, he can sense something more going on here. A different kind of tension than he had as his life was threatened by Starscream or Megatron. A different kind of respectful warmth than he has with Shockwave. This is something far deeper and bonding.  
Leaning his helm closer, he takes a risk and softly presses his lips to hers. Although she is surprised by the unexpected touch, she's not offended. If anything, she likes the feel of his warm breath on her face and his soft mouth parts moving against hers. Her hand on his waist holds a little tighter and tries to reflect his lip's movements. Together they explore this ever so light and tender caress. A form of affection and one that needs to be explored further.  
After a few moments, he pulls back to gage her response to his touch. His first kiss, he really hopes he didn't screw it up.  
Her smiles is warm and her voice soft, "Hum, if what you have to give is anything like that, I really hope I can give it a proper reciprocation."  
Predaking's smile broadens widely. "Well, I'm enjoying it so far." It's to soon to ask if she's happy or content. It's too soon to ask if he is satisfied with her company.  
It's just the right time to lean against each other and watch the sun set bathing the sky in vibrant colors.

~~  
The weeks become months. Shockwave never did ask where Predaking whisked his Queen off to. He figured it to be all for the best. He would not want to lie to his Lord and he just felt it right to have a mate for Predaking when near everyone else did. Predaking does not speak of her unless absolutely necessary out of respect for all that Shockwave has done for him and his race.  
Over all this time, the dragon couple have been making a home into the cave. They have been making a relationship with each other as well. They have been spending more time together than apart. Each time he has to leave her behind, his spark aches and pangs badly. He wants to hurry and come back to her. Just to see her, hear her voice, touch her hand…  
This time Predaking breaks the unspoken rule and knows he needs to talk to Shockwave on a more personal level about the femme. Mech to mech.

"Sir," the dragon-mech starts which surprises Shockwave to the title and tone. For this respect, the older purple one sets his experiment aside and joins Predaking at the table set with two cubes of the vicious confection-Energon.  
The younger mech takes a drink and grimaces. Curious antenna cant and he takes a sip only to blink to the dose of highgrade contained within. He doesn't refuse it, but is a bit more careful in his consumption. The younger one seems to need the boost and takes another swig to bolster his courage.  
For the first time, Shockwave starts the conversation about the femme, "How is she?"  
The cube clunks down. "Gorgeous. Invigorating. Wonderful." A deep predatory growl comes from deep within, "I want to consume her! I want to be swallowed up by her. What the hell is wrong with me?! What has she done to me?!"  
Shockwave chuckles warmly rubbing his brow. "Um, I see the biological aspect of her genetics I added to her CNA string is coming on line."  
Predaking blinks his now drugging optics. "Huh?"  
"She's in heat. That last shot I gave you before she was introduced to you, well that is your biologic change as well."  
With an aggravated huff, the pointed talon shoves into the mech's purple chest. "You gave us a squishy shot? What the frig is wrong with you?!"  
Shockwave shakes his head pushing the talon away. "No. I reintroduced an aspect to your species that had been lost. There was not enough marrow in the bones I collected to give you a complete sequence. Fortunately, there is a techno-organic on the Nemesis and I was able to formulate the missing key to your species code."  
"I still don't understand."  
Shockwave holds a hand to his spark, "In order for our species to propagate, we need either the Allspark or a lot of damned passionate luck in merging our sparks at the same times as our physical intimate mating fluids mix." Now he points to the Predacon. "Your species is before the AllSpark. You don't need it. You had a bit of an organic side that allowed your kind to incubate and live-hatch your own kin with just your…body. No need to bind your spark to another in a committed relationship."  
Predaking blinks seeing the 'beast' piece of his species. It pangs, but he also is hearing that Shockwave knows his species is more than brute primal animals. The single clawed hand now he pokes the black mech lightly in the chest. "She is ready to breed with you. Your body is ready to join her. More than that…."  
His hand slips down and holds the younger one's, "You are in love."  
"Are you sure? It's not just a virus or something?"  
Shockwave chuckles and asks him a bit more personal bodily questions to which the highgrade helps him answer truthfully. With a knowing look in his optics, Shockwave smiles, "Yes, you are in love. More than the physical reaction, it's the way your spark and mind are always thinking of her. That is the proof."  
"What do I do?" He's more nervous than his first kiss!  
Shockwave shakes his head taking his cube with him, "I won't help you this time. This time… I will let nature take it's course. Now if you will excuse me, I have a personal appointment." He downs the rest of the cube and with a rather smug swish to his hips, walks right through a ground bridge.  
It's not until Predaking lands back at his cave that he realizes, he never heard Shockwave call for the bridge to be activated.  
All those thoughts are thrown aside though when his femme walks right up to him and clamps her mouth down hard on his. Wrapping his arms around her so that he doesn't topple over, he finds her practically climbing on top of him. She's crushing him! With that he firmly pushes her back only to have her bite his lip before being forced to release.  
He's never seen her warm optics so dark and so hard. She positively…feral! Oh Primus she is gorgeous! With a snuff, he can sense what Shockwave was saying; her pheromones are a tantalizing perfume. Her scent is not only triggering things in his body but he is afraid to hurt her which stirs his spark to swell as well.  
The great king whimpers, "My Queen, please, let us be civil about this first joining."  
Her panting chest nods trying to stay above her hormones as well. Her king is larger than her and could easily fall prey to his own physical lust, but he is not allowing that. Oh no, he is being a mech of honor and dignity. It's positively INTOXICATING the way he reins himself in.  
Laying her arms back, parts the chest plates exposing her spark. With a hurr and step, his own glowing chest is crying out for hers. The sparks collide in a slamming swirl of passion and desire. They are both young and energetic. Both of them are more than anxious to bring their relationship to the next level.  
Feeling and feeding off of each other, the sparks complete the bond. Within that bond, she also learns what is going on with her body. Instead of being offended, she is honored and thrilled to bring forth the first pure bred hatchling of their kind. The light colored femme lets him know how she wants to complete their bond. Predaking shivers in anticipation and the sparks return to their housings.  
Black and white arms are wrapped tightly around each other as lips press, part and join in preparation to the final bond. Her hands are ever so exploring in touching him in areas she hadn't dared before. He is positively shivering feeling pieces of himself catch on fire.  
His hands are a bit more harsh in their grip, hold and pull. The crowned helm pulls from kissing her lips to nuzzling and biting into neck, throat and more. For all those times he has been respectful, now he just wants to take and it's a massive war within himself.  
It surprised him when she pushes him back and flips to her dragon form. With an ever so slight curl to her graceful head, flicks her tail aside. His knees buckle and he falls to his own dragon form. Hot snorts come from his nostrils. She answers with her icy puffs. They circle and rake their gazes down each other.  
The circle becomes tighter and slower until her forked tongue flicks out to swipe against a crown point. He whimpers, she purrs. With a flick of her tongue, gets another point. With his own swipe, he catches her long silver horn and smiles when she shivers and whimpers back.  
Nuzzling and nips weaken each other further and further. Soon they are pressing and rolling against each other in a warm tangle of limps, tongues and tails. Belly to belly she feels something else she has never felt before. Hot and hard it must be a piece of his body not some foreign object they picked up in their tussle. He gives his hips a slight curl just to prove that yes it is his body wanting to come home.  
With a graze of her own hips, she lets him know he is welcomed home. Panting chests, licked lips, forehelms slowly press to each other. There optic to optic, they give final permission.  
The black hips splay wide letting his femme adjust and make herself comfortable. She is ever so nervous as she starts her move. To warm and comfort her, he spirals his tail around hers and uses the tip to caress. His front paws come up and embrace her with a soft hum of comfort. With slow and gentle movements, both hum and hurr to the new intimate touch. Both jaws are dawed and awed to the delicious new sensations coming to life. Moans and groans slip out just making everything else more alive and wonderful.  
Once she is sure she can handle more, she pleads and he rolls them. His movements never cease to amaze her. How can such a solid strong being be so graceful and sexy with his body? It makes her neck arch back and give him a delicious sound in reply.

The dance couldn't last long. The brand new sensations were just so intoxicating and overwhelming. Like fire and ice coming together, rain explodes showering them in a hot bath of overloaded emotions. He sinks over her and she rolls them softly to their sides. Both are too tired to revert to their bot-forms. The large black dragon uses tail and snout to tuck his love into his protection. He turns his back to the entrance so that no one will see her and she will not be exposed to the cold winds coming.  
"I love you, Queen."  
"I hope we are successful, my mate," she nuzzles under his chin. His spark flares, yes she can claim him as hers. The one person he will be long to.

~~~  
Shockwave really isn't that surprised when Predaking does not return. After all, he can't blame the mech that much. After all, a mate is a precious gift.


	9. East

Winds of Change East

Thundercracker x Slipstream. Siblings and brotherhood. I needed a warm Megatron.

* * *

Starscream is about to speak again when the screen pings. With a few key strokes, the image is enlarged. Megatron steps behind his genius and hums, "What is it, Shockwave?"  
"A Decepticon signal."  
"Can you tell whom?"  
With a few more key strokes, the computer files through the personal list. A few are listed in red, deactivated. The ones in purple are active, but the yellow ones are declared MIA or unknown status. There! Three signals come up for MIA officers.  
Shockwave allows Starscream to push him aside. "Oh Primus… they are still alive?"

"They're alive?" The stunned Seeker gapes once again. "They didn't perish?"  
Although twisting and manipulating Megatron is one of his greatest prides of any given day, Starscream has no taste for it on this one. Today, all he wants is his family back. He turns to Shockwave, pretty sure the answer will be negative, but has to ask anyway. "Can we reach them with a bridge?"  
Shockwave points to another screen and Starscream stands aside giving him room to work. The elegantly deft fingers fly over the key pad. Nearly as fast as Soundwave's two, he is more than adept with one. Starscream might be a scientist in his own right, but he knows Shockwave far exceeds him when it comes to physics. There the formulas zip across the screen resulting in a diagram putting Nemesis on the far side of Earth's moon and a dotted line reaching just between Io and Jupiter.  
Starscream waves a hand, "Close enough. I can fly from there." Then he sees something else to the equation he can recognize easily enough. It will take not only more energy to move Nemesis off Earth, but extra power to boost the bridge to reach out that far is going to be considerable. With both himself and Megatron being fliers, there really wasn't much of a need for Nemesis to have shuttles, unlike the grounded Autobots and their accursed Wreckers Division. To use this much Energon for Nemesis and a bridge can not be done frivolously.  
Slowly and in an honest respect Megatron and Shockwave have not heard from the Air Commander since the beginning of the war, Starscream asks, "May I retrieve my trine, Megatron?" The perks antennas and optic ridges.  
Thundercracker Megatron is more than willing to have back among the ranks. Skywarp on the other hand is a bit of a toss up. A warper, sure, but the prankster he could do with out. Still, there is the third one on the active board: Hook. They could really use that strong skilled medic.  
"Starscream, you gather the required Energon yourself and you have my permission."  
Starscream can accept that. Honest work for honest reward. It's the least he can do for his personal friends. He looks up to the taller deadlier scientist, "Are you sure about these calculations?"  
Shockwave gives a soft puff of disgust, "Starscream, I created the technology for space and ground bridges. Of course I am certain of my calculations."  
Starscream nods hating the fact he sounded so stupid. "That's not what I meant. What I meant to say was, will this be enough Energon? Should I gather more? I wouldn't want to get all the way out there just to not be able to return. It would be pointless."  
Shockwave can respect that. Megatron actually respects it as well. "My calculations are precise and correct. Hurry, Io's rotation could mean we lose our window of opportunity this cycle."  
Starscream nods, "Please bridge me out." Shockwave punches in the codes and the flyer is gone to the Energon mines.  
Megatron shakes his head and then sees the dots adjust. It changes from Skywarp to Slipstream. "How can that be?"  
A few more key strokes and Shockwave points out the answer: "Their signal markers are closely matched. Not precise, but with enough radiation interference, close enough to be confused with each other."  
"Do we tell him?" Megatron ponders with his loyal friend.  
"It won't matter much in the long run," Shockwave calmly responds.

~~  
Once the Energon has been stacked and stored next to the engine and the warp drive, Starscream is warped out in his jet mode between Io and Jupiter. His spark is racing to find Skywarp and Thundercracker. He takes the finer tuned piece of equipment Soundwave and Shockwave provided for him and begins his search for his trine.  
As the pinging becomes harder and closer together, the mangled piece of a cargo ship comes into view down below. Whatever are they doing in that piece of crap? Still he dives and screams towards it. As soon as his pedes hit the dusty ground he cries out for them.  
"Thundercracker! Skywarp! It's me, Starscream! Please, please acknowledge me."  
Movement from within the ship brings him racing faster to the mangled doorway. Just as he is about to push in, a blue tipped missile is pushed against the Air Commander's chest center pushing him back out into the dust. "You have some COGS to come here!" There is no disguising the icy cold voice of Thundercracker.  
Starscream backs up concerned that Thundercracker didn't recognize him, "Hey, it's just me Thundercracker. You know, Starscream?"  
Limping, Thundercracker hangs onto the decaying ship with one hand pressing the missile again, "I know EXACTLY who you are, coward."  
Starscream gulps down his pain. Why is Thundercracker so angry with him?  
"T-"  
"Shut up! Do not dare call me that!" He jabs out again making the stunned one wince.  
"Thundercracker, please, go see to our patient, I will handle this," Hook lays a soft hand to the battered blue and black/white stripped shoulder. Without another word to Starscream, the flier turns his tattered back and does as recommended.  
Hook steps out of the ship with his own slight limp, "What are you doing here?"  
"We got your signal I'm hear to rescue you." Hook just stares which hurts Starscream more. "Why is that so hard to believe?"  
"Who is we?" Hook pushes out further.  
Now Starscream is furious. "Lord Megatron, Nemesis and crew. Even Shockwave is back. Why the interrogation?"  
"You left at a bad time," he jerks his helm towards the bots inside.  
"I left when my trine had been shot down by that blasted-"  
"You didn't check, did you?"  
"There was nothing-" He stalls when Hook points back to the ship where clearly there was something that did survive.  
Hook takes a deep sigh seeing Starscream really is penitent. "Before I take you in there, I want you to be warned. Do not say anything to tick Thundercracker off."  
"I have a feeling my mere presence is enough to set him off."  
"Just… keep a level head, alright?" The older Medic tries to calm the high strung Commander. Wisely the younger just nods silently.  
They step back into the damaged shuttle. Thundercracker is sitting on the floor bathing another's forehead with a cool and dirty rag. From the lumps under the thermal blanket, Starscream knows it's another Seeker. He smiles and comes to swiftly to the head.  
"Skywar-" and stalls in mid-name seeing the true pale face, "Slipstream….," he gapes and his spark plunges.  
Thundercracker flicks a finger to the back of the ship where a dead-grey Seeker is sat-slumped against the interior hull. It takes a few moments for Starscream to get this through his head. The last battle they were in together did not end like he thought.  
Thundercracker hisses again quietly, "Where were you?!"  
"I was taking down-"  
"NO! I called to you! But you wouldn't listen. You never do, you arrogant piece of-"  
"Thunder-cracker…," a soft whisper cuts through the anger.  
Thundercracker turns from wrath to compassion in a whip and with a shaking hand strokes her brow, "I'm sorry darling. Shh, just rest. It's nothing. Just rest. I'll get you home soon enough."  
"Did I hear… 'Warp?"  
That sends a stave to the remaining Seeker's spark as if hearing his Lieutenant call the femme 'darling' wasn't enough of a shock to his spark.  
And then the ping comes in, "Starscream, report. The window is closing."  
"Yes, Shockwave, understood." Starscream takes a deep breath gathering his wits. "Hook, obviously she can't fly and nor can you. Is there any one else?"  
"No, Starscream, there is no one," Hook is sad to report.  
"No thanks to you," Thundercracker snaps once more.  
Taking a deep breath, Starscream reports back over the comm. line, "Shockwave, we are going to need an additional boost. Only two of us can fly but one is quite injured."  
"Understood. Five, be ready in five, but you will have to get to the stratosphere."  
Thundercracker nods and moves to lift his burden. Starscream reaches out, but Thundercracker shakes his head viciously. Disregarding Hook's warning, Starscream reaches out, "She's MY sister!"  
Thundercracker snarls, "She's MY MATE! I lost my brother saving your sister!"  
Starscream slumps back out of the anger's way as he makes his way carefully out the door. Hook shakes his head, he warned the kid. Starscream looks back to the dead body in the corner. There is no way he can lift both Hook and Skywarp's dead body. It will have to be left to rust here. Not even time for a proper burial. With a head hung in shame, he exits the ship and puts his hands around Hook in order to lift him to the waiting vortex high above. Hook gives him a soft pat to the hand letting him know that not only is he ready, but he is sorry too.

~~~  
Shockwave has them arrive directly inside the med bay. Megatron is waiting as is Knockout. Starscream steps back from his charge and waits to see what they have to say. Knockout is swift to see Thundercracker is more than protective of the bundle in his arms. With a touch to the med table, "Thundercracker, here."  
Megatron gives Hook a respectful nod, "Doctor Hook, good to see you. As soon as your patients are stable, we need to debrief."  
With a bow, Hook agrees, "Yes My Liege," and the leader and scientist leave seeing there is a lot to be done here in the med bay.  
Hook turns to Starscream, "Help me get some of my systems fixed up so I can see to her better." Silently Starscream does as told with a couple glances to the other table containing his sister and one he considered just as close in brotherhood.  
Knockout knows that right now he can stabilized and get deep readings for Hook before the actual work begins. Once he has Slipstream settled as best he can, he sees to Thundercracker burn-scars and damage.  
Hook turns to the primary patient as quickly as he can starting with looking over the notes and readings Knockout hands over. Thundercracker won't leave her side. Starscream takes his place on the opposite side of the berth looking down on the sister he thought he lost.  
"It's alright, Slipstream. We've got real medical equipment now, you'll be just fine," the blue mech croons to her.  
Starscream tries again softly taking her other hand, "Thundercracker, what happened? Please, I need to understand…" Neither notice Megatron returning due to Hook's silent comm.  
With a deep sigh, Thundercracker won't look at his trine mate and Commanding Officer. "We were dog-fighting. The chemical plant erupted in flames threatening a full explosion, but you knew that, right?" Now he casts a glance toward the silent mech who only nods slowly. "We told you we needed help. You were the best Starscream. A crack shot and with one precision strike you could have… Where were you?" It's his turn to ask again.  
"Powerglide was heading for Nemesis as she lifted off. He had intel on her vulnerable spot and made it clear he would hit her there. If he succeeded in bringing her down… all hope would be lost." Carefully he tries to explain his position about the ship containing their leader and other key officers headed for a rich Energon sight.  
Thundercracker inhales deep, that was information he didn't know. Angrier than ever but now at two mechs, he continues, "The plant exploded. Sunstorm and his trine were vaporized in agony. I couldn't go to the right and left at the same time. I had to make a decision. Skywarp or Slipstream. Skywarp laughed and tried to warp away telling me to take her. So I went for her. Skywarp tried to warp over, grabbing us both in the process, but… the final burst….," his helm shakes sadly turning back to Slipstream.  
Starscream looks up to the medic for clarifications to the damage and death of his friends. Hook looks to the Seeker knowing his words will also answer the Leader. "The chemicals through their intakes poisoned them. Thundercracker wasn't directly over the first explosion. Skywarp took it the worse obviously, Slipstream a more minor dose but still damaging."  
The Seeker Commander looks back to his blue aching friend. Both he and his brother sacrificed their lives to save his sister while he dashed off to save their faction's greatest weapon.  
"Thundercracker…"  
Thundercracker won't turn to him. Right now he is too busy focusing on the sick femme beneath him. "He asked for only one thing with his dying wish. He begged me to be happy." He strokes Slipstream's cheeks again.  
Now it Starscream's turn to be hurt, "So you took my sister's spark to appease HIM?!" He completely misunderstands the purple and blue brothers' intentions towards his own dear teal sister.  
Thundercracker leans over the sickly femme they are fighting over and sneers in the other's face. "You FOOL! No, I didn't TAKE her spark! I GAVE her mine hoping to save her life!" Starscream's optics shoot wide understanding better. "That's right, Starscream. I finally told Slipstream my deepest desire: her. I always loved her and he knew it! I did nothing because of YOU. With you… out of the way, I gave Skywarp his last smile to see her say she loved me right back." He tries to hold his angry face but it cracks to a shiver of grief, "She had confided in him her feelings as well. So his dying wish was to force our hands together finally."  
With a crack of the fist to the berth he snarls his deepest threat, "Don't even dare think of getting between us."  
"Enough, Thundercracker," they all turn to the Leader who has been silent during this revelation.  
Thundercracker is panting in emotional and physical rant but clenches his jaw to state respectfully as possible what he can. "Sir, I am back under your command. I do not care where you assign me: cleaning Nemesis' exhaust ports, guard duty, mining, I don't care. All I ask is that I never be put under his command again."  
Starscream flinches and looks to his leader for an answer. Megatron only takes a deep breath and keeps his hand raise to keep both of the mech Seekers quiet. "Thundercracker, your first duty is to heal and see to the needs of your mate. It will do me no good to assign you until you have been medically cleared by Hook. Therefore, I will not answer that request." Breaking optic contact with the blue one, he looks to the CMO, "Anything I should be made aware of?"  
Hook figures airing it all right now will be best. "She's carrying."  
Starscream gapes, Thundercracker hisses to what he already knew but was hoping the medic would keep secret a bit longer. Knockout sputters but Megatron is not surprised after seeing Thundercracker's passionate release. "Of course she is. How do they both fair?"  
Hook blinks surprised that Megatron is not surprised or upset. So it takes him a moment or two to get his statement out. "Uh, exhaustion, anemia, a bit of starvation. It's too early to tell exactly the fate of the little one."  
Megatron pats Thundercracker's shoulder, "Stay with her. Starscream, leave him alone. That is an order. I have no time for further blood bath on our ship." With that, he turns and leaves with Starscream sulking right behind.  
Hook sees the way Knockout is pouting for the slumped Seeker. With a thumb and nudge, sends him to see to Starscream. With the med bay now cleared, Hook shoves a stool under Thundercracker and pushes him down upon it. "You were a bit harsh on him." The battered blue one only grunts. Hook gets to work giving both of them mineral shots and infection fighters. "He loves you both."  
"He certainly made himself more important on that day. We lost two trine and then nearly his own and his sister," he snorts while holding Slipstream's fingers to his warm mouth.  
"Thundercracker, you don't believe that for one moment. What really has you upset?"  
Instead of responding to the question, Thundercracker pans a hand out over his love's chest. "Are they going to make it?"  
Hook sets down his tools and tugs the chin to look into his older and wiser face, "Thundercracker, don't lose your logical side now. I know you feel you have lost a lot and seeing Starscream face to face is a returning slam to that moment, but please. Slipstream needs you whole and focused. It certainly wouldn't hurt if you at least TRIED with Starscream. You may have lost your brother, but does that mean she has to lose hers? Or worse, make her chose between her mate and brother?"  
"It hurts to breathe. I can't imaging losing her and our sparkling only to be left with him and all that caused this."  
Hook lets his thumb caress the younger mech. "He didn't cause this. You and he both know it deep down. War caused this. Look, I know how long you have been up, you need as much sleep as she. Go."  
This time Thundercracker is adamant. "No, I will not leave her side. I…can't."  
Hook takes a deep breath. Yes, actually he can understand that perfectly. "Alright." He knows the layout of Nemesis med-bay, after all he did designed it, and goes to into the quarantine room shoving a few things around to make room for two berths directly side by side. With a roll of his wrist, he has the bonded pair settled and nestled together in this sterile and quiet room.  
As he brings the extra large thermal blanket over them both, it melts his spark to see Thundercracker cup her to his chest where she can hear his spark beat and he can feel hers as well. "Thunder-cracker?"  
He nuzzles into her, "Yes my love. I have you safe and secure. We've been rescued and are Nemesis."  
"Our little one?" She rubs against his spark as if it was in his chest instead of hers.  
Hook tucks the blanket around the father and mother, "Is fine. Resting like you both need to. Now, shh, go to sleep. We are safe among our fold again so no need for any of us to stand guard tonight." He does not step away though until both of them have followed his orders and gone into deep sleep. Once he is sure they will not wake up easily, he shuts off the lights and secures the door. With a relieved sigh, he plops himself down onto the remaining medical berth and goes to sleep himself.

~~  
Knockout finds Starscream sitting on the flight deck looking out into the dark storm clouds. The red grounder keeps himself under the protection of the awning but still joins his friend sitting on the deck. "Starscream? I know you're not alright, but you need to relax. He'll come around."  
"He's right and then again he's wrong. I left the team in his hands as my Lieutenant. Maybe I should have sent him to take down Powerglide but I already had the red pest in my sights." Starscream lets the rain come down upon him.  
"And Slipstream?" Knockout presses the issue.  
"I knew she was helm over rudder for him. I knew he was drawn to her strong and skilled ways." He smirks a little. "He tried not to make it obvious that his optic would trail her with his quiet thoughtful façade."  
The junior medic leans on his pointed knees, "And?"  
"I didn't want him getting hurt in case she was just infatuated and not truly in love. I'm really glad she didn't fall for Megatron. Damn that would be awkward!" Knockout joins Starscream's shiver in that one.  
They both fall silent listening to the rain drops ping off the flyer and the ship. "You love them both, don't you?"  
"What is love, Knockout? Is it this pain and agony in my chest hurting for Thundercracker for losing Skywarp? Is it this glee stirring around with it for Slipstream having a honorable mech fiercely protecting her and giving her a future? Is it this sick feeling I have that Thundercracker will gain an offspring only to lose his mate? Is it this hope I have that all will be right with them? What is love, for I am all screwed up right now?!"  
Starscream sinks his face into his knees, "Knockout, I only ever talked like this with Thundercracker and now he has all but turned his back on me."  
The red one feels his own spark warm in a friendship he never ever thought to have. He will have to admit, he's never had someone to confide in like he has with Starscream. "Is this what brotherhood is like?"  
Starscream turns his cheek on his knees and looks over to Knockout. "You mean the wrath I'm getting with Thundercracker while aching for him?"  
Knockout chuckles a little and then waves the hand between himself and the wet one. "This that you and I have."  
With a soft smile Starscream sees what Knockout has never had. "Yes, Knockout. This is what brotherhood is like. In all it's pain and glory."  
The red one smiles, "Pretty strong stuff. Sure seen us through a lot, hasn't it?" Starscream has to nod to that and the point Knockout is driving home. He, Thundercracker, Skywarp and even Slipstream have been a tight knit group. Sure this might be the worst fight they have ever had, but not the only one. Knockout rolls his wrist asking the wet one to join him in his shelter.  
"You know, I know something that sparkling is going to need. How about we go on a little scouting mission?"  
That perks the heavy helm up, "Really?!" That little lift is all the pristine one needs to beam out a bright smile. "When do we leave?"

~~~  
Late the next cycle, Thundercracker slowly comes round to soft hands caressing his torso and plucking kisses along his neck and throat. Husky with deep sleep, he tries to smirk, "Careful there femme, are you sure you want to awaken that beast?"  
"Thunder, I've missed you," her hands try to loosen his armor.  
"Darling," a lazy hand covers hers, "This might not be a good time."  
He can feel her pouty lips against the underside of his chin, "Are you not well enough to help me?" That's a question both know the answer to already.  
"Slipstream, I am more than willing to consume you, but you are the one who needs to be careful. You've been poisoned, burned and now carrying."  
To answer the question to her better healthy and awakening passion, she pulls away the remains of her armor, "Like I said, Thundercracker, I've missed you. Being sick has been agony. I've want you so badly and to be unable to satisfy either of our desires…" A slim hand slides under his tasset lighting a grunting gasp making it clear he is as ready as she.  
With a moan and a growl, he gives her a light shove. He hasn't the strength to hold himself over her and he knows nor does she for him. Oh she knows what he needs and rolls to her side tucking her wings to his chest. His arm comes over her waist and strokes up and down her torso panning and teasing her. He just needs to feel her fully alive and warm. Her hand reaches back and dislodges his tasset clunking it to the floor with the remains of her own armor.  
He leans over and melds into her passionate turned lips. Within moments both are drowning in the feeling of their aching bodies joined again. They just hold onto that feeling for a moment breathing deeply and soaking in 'them'.  
"Oh Slipstream, I love you so much."  
"Thundercracker… Thundercracker…." she just loves the sound of his name curling off her tongue.  
With the next pant of his name, he moves. She clamps his hand tight to her belly helping to roll into their joining. Her other hand reaches under hers own helm to grab his nape and force his face into her neck. "Please, Thunder, please… bite me."  
The gentlemech lets out his more primal side and holds his mate tight in his maw. This brings out a wanton cry from her that neither cares if anyone else hears. With more of his primal side grunting and burrowing his passion into the love of his life, her claws stab at his neck and panned out hand just as feral in her need to join them once again.  
One crests and the other drowns joining the other. This tight and close, neither knows nor cares who fell first. All that is known, is that he remains buried as he squashes her to the berth beneath his slumped form. Her hand is still curled around and in his nape with her other hand tangled and squashed with his under her pressed own belly.  
This is how Knockout finds them when he comes to check their vitals (Hook still passed out). He smirks and tugs the blanket from their tangled hips back up over their shoulders. Starscream is silently smiling from the doorway. Slipstream tucked protectively and romantically under Thundercracker swells his spark.  
He did always admire Thundercracker's honor and dignity that exceeded his own. Sometimes Thundercracker had been a better protector of Slipstream than he, but it hadn't been easy with her fighting against him for her own right to fight in this war.  
Thundercracker is snoring away in his own gentlemech way. She smiles and opens and optic seeing her brother. With a soft nod, she welcomes him closer unable to dislodge any of her limbs. Starscream leans down and strokes her face. "Hey there, sister."  
She smiles groggily, "Hey there, brother."  
"So, you let him in finally?" He strokes again adding his acceptance.  
"Thank Skywarp for calling us fools."  
Starscream has to chuckle to that. They were always calling the purple one the fool. "Yes well, sometimes I think he was far smarter than any of us."  
Neither has noticed that the snoring has stopped. Respectfully, Thundercracker pretends to be still asleep and just listens. It's comforting to hear the praise to his dead brother.  
"I'm going to have a sparkling. You are going to be an uncle." A tear slips down hoping her brother will be happy with that.  
Starscream chokes, "Be careful. You need more than one. Sparkling's need siblings to keep them sane." Both of them know how having a sibling can also drive you insane.  
Slipstream's optics begin to waver so he leans in and presses a kiss to her forehelm. "Shh, I'll catch you later. Keep an optic on him for me, will you?"  
"I'll try," she yawns and Starscream tucks the blanket under her chin.  
Rising up, he can't stop himself from laying a warmed hand over the blue mech's cheek. "Welcome to the family, Thundercracker."  
Starscream turns and is almost out the door when he hears his name softly spoken from the sleepy blue mech. The younger one turns back to look, but the blue one can't speak. Instead, Starscream just gives a soft tender smile back and turns the soft light back off plunging the lovers back to sleep.  
Knockout puts an arm around his friend's shoulder and pats. It makes his day to see the family beginning to heal. It could be just what the Decepticons need to quell a lot of tension onboard the ship.  
Starscream turns to Knockout, "You sure that will be enough to make a couple blankets for their sparkling?"  
Knockout beams. "Starscream, we have quiet a few sparklings on the way. We need to make a few more runs."  
Jogging down to the bridge room, Starscream smiles, "What are we waiting for?!" 


	10. Zephyr

Zephyr  
I really needed a tired and warm Megatron. He's been through so much and this war is just not ending like he planned. Things just... need a change. Optimus has such hope, but so stressed as well. His laughter comes from the last place he ever though possible!

* * *

Nemesis  
Megaton punks down in his throne and lays his tired head back against the rest. As his cheek turns to the side, he feels something soft against his cheek. Although exhausted (even though professionally bored) he adjusts to pick it up. He smiles looking down to the small purple and blue blanket in his hands with a black wavy trim to it. The old warlord's body sags into the chair fondling and playing with the edge.  
The door to the bridge opens but Megatron doesn't turn. Yes, he knows who it is, he can see that glide out of her peripheral vision. What does make him turn his attention from the blanket is when a paw lays to his battered knee. Megatron lifts his optics ever so slightly above the binding of the blanket to look into the red optics of the young creature before him. Megatron tries that grumpy grandfather tone but it comes out too soft thus the little one knows it's a soft tease. "Yes? What do you want, Ravage?"  
Carefully the young one takes the bottom edge of the blanket in his teeth and tugs. Megatron shakes his head and the little one stops tugging. He doesn't let go, but nor does he whimper even though his optics are pleading. Megatron places the blanket to the arm of his throne and cants his helm in a side/downward tilt. "I warned you last time about this." The paw slips to the floor and the snout sinks so the optics are looking at the leader's pedes.  
Megatron can never be truly mad at this creature nor his older sister. They are as much his as their creators' so his spark feels. Some of the other young sparklings running around the ship and causing mayhem and trouble, are not as close in his spark as these two. Yes he has been irritated and sharp with all of them at one time or another, but these two creatures, no. Never. Just not possible.  
He leans forward and scoops his thumbs under the arm pits of the penitent little one. The retired gladiator sets the smaller form into his lap with a long stroke to his body. Ravage stretches out his snout to pull his blankie close and then tucks his head into the strong elbow cup.  
Megatron snuggles back into his seat bringing one ankle to the other knee. A soft warm youngling in his lap? Most certainly something he never thought he would find comfort in. A soft purr begins to rumble against his torso just mewling the Warlord the next step. His head slumps to his shoulder and the bridge hears something they haven't heard in a very long time… a deep soft snore of the leader.  
A few soft key strokes and everyone knows the bridge is off limits right now. The current acting Duty Officer says nothing as they all take in the sight of their devoted leader sleeping soundly in his throne with son of a devoted officer safely in his arms.

Ark

"I needed that!" A little red and white mech chases after a pink and red femme of nearly his same age as she giggles dashing away.  
Two sets of blue arms scoop up one of each sparkling. "Nah-ha what was said about running through the main area?"  
"Ah but Uncle Magnus, I just wanted-"  
The stern look finishes off the rest of the excuse. Before he can scold them any further though, a splat hits him in the belly. A dual set of squeals has him plunking his prisoner into the other set of blue laughing arms and chasing down the little punks.  
A set of pink arms slide around the Leader's waist and he smirks to his prisoners. "Now that was just down right devious you two. If I didn't know you any better, I would call you Decepticons."  
"Optimus Prime!" The femme gapes his name out. "How can you say something so HORRIBLE!"  
"Ooh, Dad, you are so BUSTED!" The femmeling pokes.  
Optimus sets both of the little ones down and gives them both a pointed finger, "I'm not done with you two. Now, go find Ratchet and tell him to prepare to roll out."  
"Really?!" the red and white mech bounces up and down. "Where are we going?"  
The mate of the Prime plunks her fists to her hips, "Yes, just where do you think you are going and DON'T even think I'm done with you either."  
The leader pulls his back up straight and proud, "Out. The little ones need room to run and quite honestly, the Decepticons have been no threat to us in a good long time. So, I have decided we are going on a picnic." With a flick of his hand, the little ones gleefully do as ordered.  
Now that he has Elita alone for a moment, he pulls her to himself. "I'm curious too what Megatron and his hoard are up to, but honestly… it's like they have lost their will to fight. For some strange reason, I feel at peace about it. I think this is a good sign."  
Elita leans in, "Okay, I will agree with you on the fact they have gone rather quiet, but you still aren't off the hook for calling our next generation rogues."  
Optimus leans into her audio, "That's not what you said about me last night," and gives her a nip. She flushes and leans in for more.

Lake Side

On one side of the lake majority of the Autobot parents and friends are sitting out enjoying the sun's warmth and the soft breeze of spring time. The little ones are having a good time with made up games and exploring the great outdoors. It's Perceptor's daughter that finds the hole in the rocky burm that has the others joining the explorations of the cave.

Hillside

Starscream and Soundwave have brought the sparklings and some of their parents off Nemesis to give the leader some peace and quiet and the little ones much needed room to roam. As the grown ups enjoy conversation of memories and other things, the sparklings play their games. It's Lazerbeak that finds the hole in the top of the outcropping that brings the others to explore it with her.

Inside the Cave

The Autobot younglings are fascinated by all the writings on the wall. They laugh about some of the goofy animals doodled there. Pulling out some of their own markers, they add their own designs.  
A sound has Springer's son lifting his head and seeing a couple more younglings their size drop in. Thundercracker's son is excited to see another young flyer. Perceptor's daughter is drawn to Lazerbeak. On and on the sparkling's are drawn to each other. Soon they are drawing, laughing and playing games together.  
The two oldest offspring of geniuses knows what they all are. Hope. Peace. The end to the war. Their parent's war does NOT have to be theirs. They step away from the others and begin to plot and scheme.  
Lazerbeak gives a final smirk and hacks Nemesis asking her younger brother to bring their leader to the picnic. Ravage melts Megatron's spark like no other and can manipulate the leader without him even knowing it. Like leaving a blankie in the throne.  
The two wise femmes wait until they hear the vortex up above open bringing forth the final two pieces of their plan. Now they strike.

With a wave of the hands, the snipers' daughter makes her move. "Hey guys, who wants to race Lazerbeak?"  
Oh ho, nothing better than a little competition to bring out the best of fun. So they all crawl out of a third hole in the cave. Lined up, the sparklings all wait for the call. "On your marks, get set, GO!"  
Laserbeak dashes off and they all race after her. Ravage takes his place at the top of the burm watching them all go by. He knows what his duty is and his tail twitches in excitement.

The trail of sparklings squeal, cheer and laugh racing after the slow moving flyer. Along the lake's edge, she leads them and then cuts quickly bringing the string right through the middle of the picnic making a mess and riling up the adults.  
"LAZERBEAK!" Arcee cries out in horror! That brings all the adults to their pedes in an instant.  
The blue flier picks up her pace heading for the rocking outcropping's path. Up and over she flies bringing Ravage into play.  
The Autobot parents are in a pickle. They can't run too fast or they might end up trampling their own sparklings and … and… and…  
Brows furrow looking at all these other sparklings. Where did they come from? That's when Optimus' spark begins to tingle in excitement. Ahhh, this is what the Matrix was trying to warn him about. With a soft hand, he has his other soldiers slow down their pace a bit. They scowl back at him, but he smirks in reply making them even more confused.  
The sparklings scramble up and over the rocks in a mad dash to beat Lazerbeak back around to the cave entrance. None of them are paying any mind to the first picnic they ran through, nor are they paying any more mind to the second one they are encroaching on.  
The Decepticon parents reaction is just the same as the Autobot ones as the sparklings disturb conversations, cuddling and Energon goodies. It's when Laserbeak buzzes right over the top of Megatron's helm that the catastrophe comes to it's height and end. Ravage lands in Megatron's lap followed by Perceptor's daughter only to be followed by the rest of the sparkling gang. All the weight piled upon even the great former gladiator is too much and he falls flat back under a dog pile of giggling squiggling younglings.  
The parents stop and gape at the pinned Warlord. A deep rumbling chuckle from the approaching second set of parents draws attention from the squashed one.  
Optimus approaches carefully although he can't hide his full laughter. It's so hearty and rumbling that it's too the point where he is finding it hard to breathe and his optics begin to moisten.  
Megatron goes from startled, to irritated, to confused and finally amused. Pushing someone's little body off his face, the arrogantly proud mech smirks looking up to his foe. "Well, don't just stand there, Prime. Help me up!"  
Optimus can't. That was the last straw for him and he sinks to the ground beside his former foe but always brother laughing hysterically. A little femme wriggles out of the mess and on top of Optimus.  
"Daddy, are you alright?" She pats his cheek ever so worried.  
Optimus kisses her cheek and nuzzles her, "I'm just fine, darling."  
Megatron crooks a brow. "Humph, well I guess I shouldn't be that surprised. Any more of these yours?"  
The sparklings start untangling and finding their parents. Elita is concerned but can't be that concerned when Megatron is still rubbing a sore spot in his belly where someone's knee got him. He looks up to her. "Ah, Commander Elita One. I take it you taught them this trick. Pretty slick, I must give you credit."  
She blinks unsure if this is a real taunt or just of his playful side. "Ah, no," she defends.  
A black and red femme steps forward and looks up to the silent blue spy holding Lazerbeak. "We did."  
That draws all parents' attention to the oldest two sparklings. One born at the beginning of the war, one not too much longer in. Laserbeak leaves her parent to join the Autobot's genius' arm. "Forgive us, Leaders. But your war, is not ours."  
Optimus and Megatron's shoulder's sink in unison. They share the same expression. Megatron looks to Optimus, "Got a smarty-aft in your ranks too?"  
Optimus grumbles, "You have no idea."  
Megatron flicks a finger to three identical boys standing before Blizwing, "Got a trine?"  
Optimus smirks to that. "Not like that." He flicks his own hand towards Ultra Magnus' daughter, his own, and then Springer and Ratchet's sons pushing each other around.  
"Ah, I see," Megatron nods. Thundercracker's son comes forth next to Ravage. And the two start tussling over a ball. "Gets a bit noise enclosed doesn't it?"  
Optimus rubs his temple. "Almost makes you wish someone would pick a fight so I can get some silence."  
Megatron roars with laughter and then grimaces to his sore belly. With a heavy pat to the truck's back Megatron smiles, "Oh Optimus, what are we going to do?"  
With a wise optic, Optimus looks between the fellow leader and the ringleaders of this meeting. "You know, it might take someone smarter than both of us combined to figure this out."  
Megatron nods his helm and then sees something that makes even his jaw drop. A young Predacon dragon landing right before the lead Autobot-Decepticon Ambassadors with his parents coming to rest on either side of the leaders. Predaking crouches down beside the sat faction representatives. "Whatever you do, we want to be involved. It's our future too."  
Megatron puts a hand out towards Optimus. Optimus accepts it. Then both of the faction leaders reach their hands out to the Predacon leader. He accepts their hands. No one is in any hurry to let go. If anything, the three leaders clinch down even harder pulling them closer.  
Before long the refugees of Cybertron's past, the future of their race sit and share goodies together.

The royal blue and logical purple scientist share a single thought: "Who knew that the winds of change would encompass and direct us here?"


End file.
